Goodnight, Sweet Partridge
by Cassidy McKenzie
Summary: A distraught fan comes looking for Keith.
1. Default Chapter

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
  
The girl wasn't very old; maybe fifteen at the most. She could have been any one of the students on the other side of the fence; or their little sister, perhaps.  
  
She stood watching as the final bell rang and the kids from San Pueblo High School ended their day, pouring out of the largely stucco and clay-topped building. Laughter emitted from most of the students; it was Friday, after all, and the weekend was just beginning.  
  
The girl's eyes scanned the crowd as if she searched for someone in particular and hadn't spotted them, yet. He had to be here, she told herself. The Family wasn't touring until next month, at least that's what she'd read in the glossy fan magazine she that clutched in her hand.  
  
Still no sign of him; she was growing impatient. Maybe he'd been kept after school. Keith Partridge wasn't known for his mind, after all. He could very well be stuck in Geometry, or even perhaps detention. She hadn't thought of that. She knew he wasn't a trouble-maker; the magazines had called him 'a leader'. He also could be staying after for some athletic reason, though she doubted that. She hadn't seen many photos of him in uniform or anything, and she knew he wasn't in the school band. Maybe he was just running late; perhaps talking to a friend at his locker or something. She wondered if she dared go onto the school grounds. Why not? She asked herself. No one would notice; they would just think she was a new girl, especially if she asked anyone for directions.  
  
Bravely, she stepped around the fence into an opening near a large bush and joined the hundreds of kids milling about. She wondered if they knew just how lucky they were, going to the same school as Keith Partridge. They got to see him five days a week, while she felt lucky to have seen him twice in concert back in Muncie, Indiana. How would it be, she pondered, sitting behind him in a class, having those beautiful, brown locks of his practically in your face, hearing his voice as he read a love poem (or anything!) out loud, watching his face as he joked around with his buddies…  
  
"Hey, Partridge!" a male voice jolted her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a tall, blond boy, his arm around a much shorter girl waving in the direction of the school.  
  
Her eyes darted to the building and her heart stopped. There he was, dressed in a tight knit blue shirt that was open at the collar, revealing a smooth, lightly tanned chest, form fitting jeans and boots. His books were dangling in his hand at his side and the grin he threw at his friend nearly floored her. He was gorgeous!  
  
"Hey, Archie, what's up?" He spoke and his voice gave her chills.  
  
"You going to the game? We're playing Riverdale tonight."  
  
Keith shook his head, and she swallowed, watching the afternoon light ripple through his hair. "I don't think so. I've got a rehearsal, and then I'm taking Samantha Dozier to a play. Laurie insists that we see it. Some psychedelic Shakespeare thing, I think."  
  
Her heart fell. He had a date? How could he? The magazine said he was too busy to date! It said he would rather stay home, write music and play his guitar! There was no mention of a girlfriend! Almost in shock, she listened more.  
  
"Oooh, Samantha Dozier, huh?" Archie grinned. "She's hot, Partridge. How'd you manage that?"  
  
"Yeah, Keith. Word has it that she doesn't want to end up like Connie, Melissa or Denise, and every other girl in the school you've dated and then dumped," Archie's girl said.  
  
Keith's gaze dropped shyly, but the dimpled smile remained. "Yeah, well, after three weeks of my begging, she finally gave in." He looked up again. "Once I take her up to Muldoon's Point, she'll give in again, I hope!" He laughed, winking.  
  
The girl was mortified. Keith Partridge, a Casanova? How could this be? If she hadn't heard it with her own two ears, she would have never believed it! The fan magazine had lied to her! All this time, they were portraying him as a gentle boy, who loved his family and his work…a sweet, caring young man who was busy giving his all to his music. He hadn't had much time to date, they said, but he was looking for that Special One; the girl he would most likely never find because he was so loyal to his family, his friends; his country. Keith Partridge was figuratively one badge shy of Eagle Scout, that's what she'd been told, and it was the reason she'd come all this way!   
  
She was infuriated, now, and could barely look at him. Yes, he was still beautiful - on the outside - but now she knew the real him. Turning on her heel, she stormed back to the other side of the fence.  
  
  
  
Shirley Partridge walked in on a complete hullabaloo in the garage. Chris and Danny were banging away on their instruments without any tune or rhythm at all. Laurie listlessly played the same four notes over and over on her keyboard, adding to her brothers' racket, and even little Tracy got in on the act by tossing her tambourine as high as she could then dashing around the room to catch it. The only one of her brood not participating was Keith, and it was only because he hadn't arrived, yet.  
  
"All right you kids, better knock it off before Keith sees you acting like this!" Shirley shouted above the din.  
  
The noise subsided exactly at the moment Keith entered. "Busted!" he frowned, grabbing his guitar. "I heard it before I pulled into the driveway."  
  
"We're sorry, Mom, but it's Friday…we're just winding down from a hard day at school," Chris explained.  
  
"Yeah, and I've got better things to do than rehearse. Punky got a new skateboard and I've gotta think of stuff to trade for his old one," Danny almost whined.  
  
Keith whirled on him."You'd better start concentrating on that bridge in "Summer Days" you keep messing up, or I'll eliminate the middle man, or should I say skateboard, and break your leg myself," he snapped.   
  
"Well, Mr. Sunshine, so glad you could make it," Laurie said to him.  
  
He sighed. "Look, I know it's Friday and you're anxious to start your weekend, but we've got to get these songs down. We're recording the album in two weeks."  
  
Shirley put her hand on his shoulder, looking around at the rest of the kids. "Keith's right. He's worked long and hard on these songs, and if we're not ready with them, he gets all the grief from Reuben, the press, everyone. Now, come on, let's make him proud of us."  
  
"Thanks, Mom," Keith smiled. It wasn't easy, being the center of a group. And, she was right. Every little thing that went wrong, somehow he got the blame. Then again, he also got all the attention, which, most of the time, wasn't so bad.He turned to his siblings. "Okay, I apologize for being so crabby. Let's get this crazy thing over with so we can get on with the weekend!" He grinned.  
  
Shirley just shook her head. They were just kids, after all…  
  
  
  
The girl was literally shaking as she stepped into the crowded bus station. Those street people were scary; she'd only asked for some pills, and she'd given them cash. They acted like she was trying to rip them off, or something!   
  
Sitting down on a dirty bench, she looked at the handful of multicolored pills in her hand. Would it be enough to do the job? She didn't want to just go to sleep; she wanted to die. All because of Keith Partridge and his myriad of girlfriends and bold face lies.  
  
She opened the fan magazine, turning to the glossy close-up photo of him near the center. She sat there, staring at it for the longest time, her heart breaking more with each passing moment. He just looked back at her, his brown eyes boring into her very soul. Her eyes welled with tears as she looked down at that beautiful, evil face. Her grandmother had always said the Devil was handsome, and she'd been right! Closing her eyes, she tore the picture from the magazine. Leaving the rest of it on the bench, she got up and headed for the ladies room, the picture clutched in one hand and the pills in the other.   
  
She slipped into a stall, and, after fishing through her pockets, she tossed her identification card into the toilet bowl, flushed it, and then gently put the lid down on the seat. She perched cross-legged on the lid, taking another long, last look at the picture; those perfect features and that phony smile. He'll be sorry, she thought, her hand trembling as she took a deep breath. She popped the pills into her mouth quickly, before she had time to change her mind. Swallowing them down, she sat back and waited for the end to come, the picture of Keith still in her shaking hand.  



	2. Chapter 2

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 2  
  
Shirley was curled up on the sofa, absorbed in a book. A half-empty wine glass sat on the coffee table nearby and the house was shatteringly peaceful. The three youngest of the brood were in bed and Laurie was in the kitchen, talking to Dina Firmly on the phone; Keith was still on his date with Samantha. After the ruckus of rehearsal that continued into dinner, Shirley was grateful to have some time to herself. It wasn't often that she got this kind of silence, though it was about to change in one mere tiny little instant.  
  
The doorbell rang, and Shirley was so into her book that she didn't hear it the first time, nor the second. It wasn't until Laurie poked her head through the kitchen door, the receiver still up to her ear that she was even aware of anything but the mystery unraveling in the pages before her.  
  
"Mom, are you going to get that?" Laurie asked.  
  
Shirley looked up. "Hmm?" She seemed only mildly distracted. The bell rang again, sounding agitated, and only then did she put the book aside. "Oh, I'm sorry, Laurie, yes, I'll get it."  
  
She got up, stepping quickly to the door. Upon opening it, she saw a very unnerved Reuben Kincaid standing there.   
  
"Oh, Reuben, I didn't expect you here tonight!" she said, stepping back to let him in.  
  
He grunted, his narrow eyes searching the living room as he entered the foyer. "We've got trouble, Shirley, big trouble. Where's Keith?"  
  
Shirley frowned, her dark eyes following him as he strode past her into the living room. "He's on a date, why? What trouble are you talking about?"  
"Then you haven't seen the news?" He turned, looking at her.  
  
She shook her head. "Haven't had the television on all night. Why, what's the matter? Is Keith all right? He hasn't had an accident or anything - !" She half-expected a yes, and she tried to brace herself.  
  
"Shirley, a young girl attempted suicide in the bathroom of the bus station this afternoon." He tried to make it as painless as possible.  
  
"Oh, dear, that's terrible! But what has it got to do with Keith?"  
  
He closed his eyes. "She had a magazine picture of him clutched in her hand when they found her."   
  
Shirley put her hand to her mouth. "Oh, dear Lord…!"   
  
The police are starting an investigation, and the press is after me for a statement. Shirley, we've got to find him."  
  
"They don't think that Keith…"  
  
"They don't know. I don't know; no one knows. She's in San Pueblo General right now." Reuben looked completely harried.  
  
"Then she isn't dead."   
  
He shook his head. "She tried to overdose. They had to pump her stomach. She's awake, but not talking. There's no identification on her, but she won't give them any information." He sighed, taking a seat on the couch arm. "Keith hasn't dumped a girlfriend or anything lately, has he? I mean, she would have to have some reason to involve him like this!"  
  
"Oh, Reuben, Keith has had so many girlfriends, I've lost count…we'll just have to ask Keith."  
  
The front door opened, and the Devil himself stepped in. Having heard his name, he smiled. "Ask Keith what?" He unzipped his jacket, closing the door behind him.  
  
Reuben stood up, his eyes almost wild. "You, mister, are in some serious trouble!" His voice rose as he pointed at him.  
  
Keith's smile faded. "What's wrong? What did I do?"  
  
Shirley took Reuben's arm, pulling his hand out of Keith's face. "Keith, a young girl tried to kill herself today, and she was holding your picture."  
  
The news stunned him. "You're kidding," he said softly. "Who was she? What's her name?"  
  
"No one knows, honey. She doesn't have any identification, and she won't tell anyone who she is."  
Keith's brown eyes widened. Seeing the look on Reuben's face, he felt sick. "Reuben, you've got to believe me, I had no idea…"  
  
"We know, honey," Shirley put her hand on her son's shoulder. "What should we do, Reuben?"  
  
"Well, the press is gonna drive us crazy until we give them something. I can release a generic statement, and in the meantime, you should call the hospital and the police and get whatever information you can on this girl. Then, Keith and I will hold a press conference and tell them our side of this."  
  
"Good idea. I'll call the hospital right now." Shirley gave Keith an encouraging smile as he shook his head, blowing out a breath.  
  
"Man, Reuben, this is all so unreal. They're not saying I had anything to do with her trying to kill herself, are they?"  
  
"Well, when your picture was found in her hand, you became involved, involuntarily though it may seem. The police are starting an investigation."  
  
Keith swallowed, his face pale, now. He sank down onto the sofa, pulling his jacket close around him. He knew he could be sick at any second.  
  
Reuben reached over, putting his hand on Keith's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. I'll pull you through this one."  
  
He looked up, his eyes full of pain. "I know, but what about the girl? Who's gonna pull her through this?"  
  
Reuben gave him a half-smile, having no answer to that.  
  
****  
  
The garage was dark, pitch black almost, when Laurie opened the door. The moonlight behind her gave the room an eerie blue look and she fumbled for the light switch near the door. The light came on and she saw Keith sitting there in front of the drum kit, his arms wrapped around his guitar, his chin on the neck of it.  
  
"Keith, are you all right?" Laurie asked, tentatively stepping around the plethora of instruments in her path.  
  
"Oh, sure. Why wouldn't I be?" He sounded weary.  
  
She moved to join him. "Well, it's not that often that I find you sitting here alone in the dark," she said, taking a seat next to him on the floor. "Mom told me what happened."  
  
He closed his eyes. "I don't know her, Laurie, I swear I don't know her." He was trying hard to convince them both.  
  
"They're thinking she's a runaway who just came here to meet you." Laurie put a comforting hand on his arm.  
  
He looked at her, the exhaustion showing clearly in his eyes. "Then, why didn't she try? I'm not exactly Howard Hughes. The whole town knows where I live, go to school…why would she just try to off herself like that?"  
  
"Maybe you did meet, and you didn't know it."  
  
He shook his head. "I doubt it. I haven't run into any strangers in the past few days. The police already asked me that. They classified her as a stalker. That's a pretty frightening term, isn't it?" He put the guitar aside, crawling to his feet. He began to pace, absently playing with the ring on his pinkie finger.   
  
Laurie sat there, watching him walk back and forth. "When's your press conference?"  
  
"Tomorrow." He gave a meaningless laugh. "The cops don't want me to even go to school for a while for security reasons, can you believe that?"  
  
"It all sounds so bizarre…you know, like the Twilight Zone," Laurie said, shaking her head.  
  
"What did Mom find out about this girl? I mean, she's got to have a name, a hometown…"  
  
Again, Laurie shook her head. "She's not talking, Keith. All they know is that she isn't from around here and she came here because of you, for some unexplained reason."  
  
He looked ceiling ward, his shoulders sagging. "I think I should talk to her."  
  
Laurie's eyes grew big. "Do you think that's a good idea?"  
  
He turned to her. "How else are we gonna get to the bottom of this? If I'm the reason she's here, then maybe I can get her to tell us what her bag is." He sighed. "I'll talk to Reuben about it."  
  
"Better do it tomorrow. It's almost midnight. You'd best get some sleep before the press conference," she told him.  
  
He nodded.   
  



	3. Chapter 3

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 3  
  
"No." Reuben told Keith in the living room of the Partridge house that next morning. "Absolutely not."  
  
Keith frowned. "Why not? It's obvious that she has…feelings for me. Maybe I can get her to open up."  
  
"And maybe she'll open you up, with a machete or something! You can't risk it, Keith. She could be a candidate for the funny farm. She's already taken a drastic step in trying to end her own life. I don't want you going with her."  
  
Frustration was showing clearly on the young singer's face. He knew Reuben was right, but something kept gnawing at him. He felt responsible for this girl's actions, and all he wanted to do was help.  
  
"Reuben's right, honey. She could be dangerous. Maybe the whole thing was done to attract your attention, and now that she has it, she could be planning something even worse for you," Shirley told him.  
  
"Oh, please, Mom, don't tell me you believe all this hype. You know as well as I do that she's most likely just a lonely teenage girl with an unrequited love. Yes, she obviously has some problems, but I don't think she's dangerous." Keith's voice was on the edge of anger. "I see your concern, but I honestly don't think she would hurt me."  
  
"You don't know that. We don't know anything about her. Maybe she's not even acting alone, here, did you think of that? Suppose she has an accomplice of some sort, and this is a plot to kidnap you or something? Any number of things could happen, Keith. There are too many sick people out there," Reuben said adamantly.   
  
"You have to think of yourself first, Keith. Maybe if we get some more information on her, we could ease you two into a face to face meeting, but not until. It's for your own protection. We're just as concerned about the poor child as you are, but we can't go rushing into anything." Shirley rubbed his back.  
  
Keith nodded. They were right, he knew that, but he also knew that this could very well be the beginning of the end for the group. This whole episode could be a stigma they would never be able to get over.  
  
"Okay, I'll accept that, but…how about if I called her? What harm could she be to me over the phone?"  
  
"That is a great idea, and we can do that, but right now, we have a press conference. You have your albatrosses and I have mine. Are you ready?" Reuben asked.  
  
"I guess so. Where's it being held, anyway?" Keith shoved his hands nervously into his pants pockets. He was dressed to the nines for this, white shirt, tie, everything. Reuben told him he needed to make the press forget that he was a rock singer, just for the purpose of getting them to listen to what he had to say, and appearing before them looking like he'd just come from Church certainly wouldn't hurt.  
  
"In front of the hospital, just for aesthetics."  
  
Keith raised an eyebrow. "And…if someone asks if I've been in there to visit her….?"  
  
"You say you're arranging a meeting. Look, I'll do most of the talking. If someone asks you something you don't have an answer for, I'll pop in with a quick reply. Trust me, I've done a million of these things."  
  
Keith nodded apprehensively as Shirley reached over, kissing his cheek. "Good luck, honey."  
  
"Thanks, Mom," he swallowed, his eyes darting back to Reuben. "Is it just me, or is this room spinning?"  
Smiling, Reuben put his arm around him.   
  
****  
Keith was suddenly all too aware of the reason Reuben dreaded press conferences. For one thing, it was nothing but chaos. Grown men and women pushing their way towards him, each trying in their own obnoxious way to get him to answer their question, trying to pretend that none of the other reporters even existed. Microphones and cameras shoved in his face by people who were, at the very least rude and ill-mannered. Reuben and he had been there for the whole of five minutes and already the questioning had turned from candid to interrogative. He'd had to physically push his way to the table that was set up on the hospital lawn for them; now he was having to deal with a barrage of accusations that maybe he'd been impolite to this girl or had been physical with her to get her to do what she did. It was enough to bring a guy to tears, and he found himself turning more and more to Reuben to answer the questions in his stead. All Keith wanted to do right now was up and leave this inquisition and find a hole to crawl into.  
  
The other Partridges watched from outside the bus in the parking lot, not 100 feet from where Reuben and Keith sat facing this lynch mob. It was killing Shirley, especially, watching them pummel Keith with their words, demanding to know why he would do this to someone who just obviously wanted his attention. She saw how uncomfortable he was, veritably squirming in his seat more and more with each question thrown at him. She noticed how he reacted to the flashbulbs as picture after picture was taken of her son sitting there as if on trial. It was almost too much to comprehend. They acted like he'd murdered the girl in cold blood, when he didn't even know how he'd gotten mixed up in all this.   
  
Thank goodness for Reuben, Shirley thought. He was coming to Keith's rescue as promised, handing out verifiable answers as readily as any lawyer. Still and all, Shirley saw her son's face and knew that things would never be the same again.   
  
Reuben saw, too, what it was doing to the young teen idol and he did his best to end the press conference in a most professional manner. Rising to his feet, he squared himself between Keith and the reporters, letting Keith make a clean get away. As Keith moved off toward the bus and his awaiting family, Reuben kept moving, too, making sure he kept the mob at a good distance from his client.  
Finally getting within running distance of the bus, Keith sprinted forward, leaving the manager to do what he did best.  
  
Keith's face was as white as his sweat-soaked shirt as he joined the other Partridges. Shirley stayed her brood with her hand, watching him as he whisked past them and into the bus.  
  
"Mom," Laurie began, but Shirley shook her head.  
  
"Let him be for a minute. He doesn't need anymore questions."  
  
They waited outside, all of them visibly shaken by the outcome of the event. Reuben had dispelled the last of the reporters and was now coming toward them, sweat glistening on his wide forehead.  
"They were going for the throat. How's Keith?"  
  
"Completely unnerved. I can see now it was not a good idea to put him through that, Reuben."  
  
"I wanted them to see him, to see whom they were questioning. They had to see him as a person, Shirley, and not some rock and roll idol that didn't give a rat's behind about the situation, which is what a lot of them started out thinking. Especially the out of towners; the ones who really don't know him. Besides, we had nothing to hide. Keith hasn't done anything wrong, and they needed to see that."  
  
"I just hope it was all worth it," Shirley said coolly, stepping into the bus.  
  
Keith sat in the back, looking thoroughly drained. She couldn't tell if he was crying, but she wouldn't have been surprised.  
  
"Okay, honey?" She eased toward him, not wanting to make any sudden moves.  
  
He sat with his back against the window, his tie pulled open and his face sad. "They said I drove her to it," he said softly.   
  
"You and Reuben set them straight." She sat down in the seat in front of him.  
  
He shook his head, his eyes wide with fear. "They didn't listen, Mom. Nobody was listening to what we had to say. They were all too busy trying to come up with the next stupid question. Their minds were made up before they even got there." He clenched his fist, slamming it down hard onto the back of the seat to his left. "How can they say anything about me? They don't know me! They certainly don't know her! No one knows anything about her! I'm sick of being the bad guy here, Mom!"  
  
His voice escalated and Shirley put a gentle hand on his arm. "You didn't do anything wrong, Keith, we all know that."  
  
"Mom, I have to talk to her. I have to find out why she did this; why she's trying to destroy me." His voice broke.  
  
Shirley sighed. "Let me talk to Reuben and I'll see what he says."  
  
Keith closed his eyes, pushing his head back against the window.  



	4. Chapter 4

She hadn't slept much these past couple of days. She was too afraid to; alone, in a hospital in a strange town, where the only person she thought she knew had betrayed her.   
  
She still refused to tell them her real name: Carly Stratton. As long as she had her way, no one would ever find out! Besides, she liked it when the nurses and doctors called her 'sweetie,' or 'honey.' She never got that sort of attention back home in Indiana. Both of her parents worked and she, being an only child, was often alone at home. She had turned to the fan magazines for company. Sometimes she wished for a fairy godmother to just whisk her away to her prince charming, and she thought she'd found that prince in Keith Partridge. But alas, if this was a fairy tale, then Keith Partridge had turned out to be the villain.   
  
A nurse came in with a lunch tray, and Carly glared as it was placed the tray on the cart near the bed.  
"Lunch time, sweetie," the nurse smiled kindly. "Better eat it up; you're going to have a visitor."  
  
Carly sighed. "Who? Dr. Faber again? I'm really tired of talking with these psychiatrists, Nurse Keller."  
  
"Nope, not Dr. Faber. I can't tell you who it is, but you'll be surprised." Nurse Keller's smile was a little on the sly side. She fluffed Carly's pillow, double checked the status of the I.V. in the bottle above her head and headed for the door.  
  
"Why can't you tell me?" Carly was more than a little curious, now.  
  
"I can't tell you that, either."  
  
"Can you at least give me a time?" Carly asked.  
  
"Oh, soon. Around two, I heard. Eat up!" The nurse instructed again before leaving the room.  
  
****  
  
Carly only ate part of the lunch. She hadn't had much of an appetite since she'd been here. She rolled over, checking her watch for the time. It was going on two. Almost time for this mysterious visitor. She reached under her pillow and pulled out the wrinkled magazine picture of Keith; the one she'd had when she downed all those pills. She was sort of glad they saved it. Smoothing it out on the edge of the mattress, she poured over it again. He certainly was beautiful; those deep brown eyes, that perfect nose and those kissable lips. How could she have believed that he didn't have a girlfriend? A guy this gorgeous had to have hundreds of them. How could she been so naïve? Well, one thing she could be sure of, HE wouldn't be the visitor!  
  
The door opened, and Carly turned to look, slipping the picture back into its place beneath the pillow. A uniformed policeman was following Nurse Keller into the room.  
  
Carly grabbed the bedcovers in terror as they approached the bed. The cop's face was serious, as was the nurse's.  
  
"I have to check out the whole room," the cop was telling Nurse Keller.  
  
"I understand. Well, I can tell you that she doesn't have any weapons on her. She's in a hospital gown."  
  
Carly stared, watching, as the policeman pulled open the drawers on the small dresser near the door, opened the closet and finally disappeared into the bathroom.  
  
"What's going on? Am I being arrested?" Carly swallowed, still clutching the bedcovers.  
  
"No, dear. He brought your visitor."  
  
Who was it, Carly wondered. The President? What were they looking for, a bomb?  
  
Apparently finished with his search, the cop went to the door, opened it and gave a little nod to whoever was outside.  
  
The person came in, following the taller policeman, with yet another policeman behind them.  
  
At first she thought she was seeing things, but when he spoke, smiling at her, she knew it was real.   
"Hi," Keith said, appearing a bit nervous. He was dressed in a soft blue striped shirt that casually hung out over his jeans, and white tennis shoes. He looked younger than she did.  
  
She didn't know what to say. This was incredible. And how dare he come in here?   
  
He didn't come any closer than the policemen would allow, as if she were contagious or something.  
  
Just looking at him made her want to bawl. Her feelings about him were still mixed. So, she just stared at him.  
  
Keith looked at the first cop. "You guys can wait over there," he told them, nodding toward the door.  
They moved off hesitantly and Keith pulled up a chair. "Mind if I sit down?"  
  
She shrugged. Yes, no, what difference did it make?   
He didn't wait for an answer. He flipped the chair around and straddled it backwards, resting his arms on the back of it. She had a poster of him at home, sitting the exact same way.   
  
Clearing his throat, he tried another smile. "I'm Keith Partridge, but then again, you already knew that."  
  
Carly nodded.  
  
"And your name is…" he prodded.  
  
"What do you care?" She had to take her eyes off his face before she started bawling.  
  
He twitched; she saw it out of the corner of her eye. This was bothering him; good, she thought. Make him miserable. She didn't want to be the only one.  
  
"I do care. I'm here, aren't I?"  
  
Again, she shrugged, still trying not to look at him. "I didn't ask you to come."  
  
There was silence, and she forced a peek. His head hung down, forcing his hair to hide part of his face. She'd nailed him with that one.  
  
When he looked up, his eyes were sad. "Look, I came here because I heard what happened and I feel responsible for it. I want to help you," he said, looking right into her eyes.  
  
She swallowed. Maybe those magazine stories weren't so far-fetched after all. He genuinely seemed to care. She didn't want to push him any further. Tears sprang to her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. To cry in front of Keith Partridge…how would that look?  
  
"My name's Carly," she said, and his gentle smile tugged on her heartstrings.  
  
"Carly," he repeated. "That's pretty."  
  
She glanced away, feeling his eyes still on her.   
"What about your last name? You do have one, I assume."  
  
She looked over at the policemen, who she knew were listening, too. "I can't tell you that."  
  
Keith nodded, putting his chin on his arms and looking at her. She was rather non-descript; short, straight brown hair that curled just a little at the ends, brown eyes. He couldn't tell how tall she was, but she couldn't have been his height. The hospital gown and the covers hid her figure. "Carly," he said seriously. "Why did you try to kill yourself?"  
  
How could she answer that? Because I thought I loved the real you and found out I'd been lied to the whole time? She swallowed again, looking away.  
He continued. "You must have had a reason. You have your whole life ahead of you. Why, Carly? Is it because of me? Did I do something? What could I have done that would make you want to do this to yourself?" His voice rose in anguish. "I need to know. You owe me at least that."  
  
Her eyes flashed with anger, now, and she glared at him. "I don't owe you anything, Keith Partridge!"  
  
He nodded. "Yes, you do. They're blaming me for this, Carly. The whole world thinks I drove you to this; do you know what that's like for me?" He waved an arm. "I was being accused of something I didn't even know happened. You involved me, Carly, and I think you could at least give me an explanation."  
  
She began to cry, burying her face in her hands.  
  
He suddenly felt very sorry for her. He winced, pressing a fist into his temple. She already had enough problems, here. If he said anything more, he might drive her to try it again! "I'm sorry," he said softly. He got up from the chair and paced anxiously while she kept crying, unsure of whether he should touch her or not. This poor girl needed a hug, or something! Finally, when she'd calmed down a little, he leaned back against the small dresser, still looking at her.  
  
"You're right, I do owe you an explanation, but…" she choked back more tears. "I just can't right now…"  
  
He glanced back at the policemen who waited patiently at the door. Sighing, he nodded. "I understand. I guess the important thing is that you're okay." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Look, I have to leave now, but I can come back tomorrow, and we can talk some more. Would that be okay with you?"  
  
She nodded and he smiled, stepping towards her.   
  
He leaned down, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'll leave the fuzz at home this time," he said quietly, just so she could hear it. It drew a smile from her and he grinned crookedly. "Take care, okay?"  
  
"'Bye, Keith," she said tearfully, wanting so badly to just throw her arms around him, but knew it would definitely be the wrong thing to do. She'd seen those policemen's guns!  
  
"'Bye, Carly." He let go of her hand as the first policeman stepped forward, placing himself between them. He gave the officer a disenchanted look and moved toward the door.  
  
Then he was gone.  
  
****  
  
The day had been so exhaustive, and Keith knew he could use a good long nap, but there was no way he was going to be able to sleep. He was still staring up at ceiling two hours later when his mother came into his room.  
  
"Everything all right, honey?" she asked. "Did you get some sleep?"  
  
"Hardly."  
  
She smiled, coming in and sitting on the edge of the bed. "You're going to wear yourself down, Keith," she said, rubbing his shin.  
  
He looked at her. "Mom, we need to help Carly."  
  
She sighed. "We can't give her the help she needs, honey."  
  
He propped himself up on his elbows. "Sure we can. All she needs is love."  
  
"That's a pretty broad statement."  
  
"It's true. Her suicide attempt was a cry for help. I just happened to be the object of her affection, as displaced as it may be. I think that, until they find her family or whatever, she should come here and stay with us." His innocence was only surpassed by his exuberance.  
  
"Don't you think we should discuss this with the rest of the family first, before you invite her in?" Shirley was glad to see that he seemed to have forgotten all about the press conference, for the time being.  
  
He sprang up. "Okay, then, let's call a family meeting!"  
  
Shirley smiled, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Now, wait a minute, Keith, you have to understand that the other kids might not be as…enthusiastic about this idea as you are."  
  
"How could they not be, Mom? It's a chance to help someone out. We Partridges are famous for that. Well, that and the music, but gosh, Mom, we can't just sit here and do nothing."  
  
She looked at the sincerity on his handsome face and her heart nearly burst with pride. Yes, ma'am, this is one special kid you have here. "Round 'em up, cowboy," she smiled.  
  
He nearly flew out the door.  



	5. Chapter 5

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 5  
  
The vote was unanimous; everyone agreed they had to help, but they all wanted to meet Carly before extending an open-ended invitation to her. Keith agreed to their terms, and he made arrangements with the hospital to have Carly and the family get together in the hospital atrium the next morning.  
  
When Keith and his family entered the sunny, plant-filled area on the second floor of the hospital, they didn't see Carly at first. After taking a quick survey of the room, Keith finally spotted her sitting alone near the bay window through which one could see the parking lot. Not exactly a pleasurable view, but Carly wasn't seeming to mind.  
  
She was wearing what must have been a borrowed robe and slippers, because everything was just slightly large on her; not that she was petite, by any means, but these clothes must have belonged to a much bigger person.  
  
She looked up when she saw them approaching and suddenly she felt very awkward, meeting the first family of rock dressed like this. She would give anything to just fade into the scenery right now…be the wallflower that she was used to being.  
  
"Carly, this is my Mom, Laurie, Danny, Chris and Tracy. Guys, this is Carly with no last name," he said flippantly.  
  
She ignored his sarcasm as the Partridges greeted her warmly, one by one. "Hello," she responded shyly.  
  
"You will have to ignore my son. He hasn't been sleeping well," Shirley smiled. "Then again, I'm sure you haven't been, either."  
  
Carly looked at her. She was beautiful. The whole family was. Up until now, they were just images in a magazine, and now they were with her, tangible and beautiful. And breakable. She looked over at Keith, saw how stunning he was, all in brown today, from head to toe, and Laurie, so pretty. Even the three younger children seemed just so sweet and innocent. And with one thoughtless act, she had turned their lives upside down, not to mention her own!  
  
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Partridge, I'm sorry I got Keith into so much trouble…it's only because…I loved him…well, I thought I did. And I do. Love him, I mean. I just don't know what to think anymore!" Carly's outburst was accompanied by a river of tears.  
  
Obviously uncomfortable, Keith fidgeted while Shirley took Carly into her arms. "It's going to be all right, honey. We're here to help you."  
  
As Shirley comforted Carly, Keith motioned his brothers and sisters back towards the entrance to the room. They followed quietly, gathering in a circle around him.  
  
"Well, what do you think? Wanna give it a shot?" Keith whispered, sure that his voice was echoing in the hollow chambers of the room.  
  
"Boy, Keith, you sure know how to pick 'em," Danny glanced over his shoulder as his Mother continued to hold the girl.  
  
Laurie frowned. "She's sick, Danny."  
  
"Yeah, in the head, for even admitting she loves Keith."  
  
Keith straightened, pulling Laurie up with him. "Seeing as you're the only mature one here," he said, glaring down at Danny, "I'll go with your opinion."  
  
"Well, you are right, she does need some help. But we're not psychologists, Keith. Shouldn't we leave it up to the professionals?" Laurie's face reflected worry.  
  
"How professional do you have to be to show love to someone? Can't you see that's exactly what she needs? She came to me, expecting just that and when she didn't get it, she just gave up on herself. I don't want to just send her off to some…asylum or something, thinking that I did it again. Come on, Laurie, be reasonable."  
  
Laurie looked back over her shoulder as Keith's fingers dug into her arm. "You're right," she finally conceded. "She needs self esteem. I can help her with that part." She turned to her brother, smiling. "Let's do it."  
  
"Excuse me, but you still need three more votes here," Danny said, kicking Keith's boot with his foot.  
  
Keith and Laurie looked down. "Okay, so vote."  
  
"Personally, I see this girl as nothing but trouble, especially for you, Keith. What's gonna happen if she doesn't want to leave this love nest you plan on building for her?"  
  
"Danny, she has a family of her own somewhere. I don't think she's going to want to stay with us forever; she'll start missing them sooner or later," Laurie shook her head.  
  
"Right, and if she doesn't want to leave, well, then we can adopt her and put her in the group. I can teach her to play the bass in no time flat. You know, to fill in when you're in reform school or something."  
  
Danny reddened, as Chris spoke up. "I guess it's okay with me, as long as she doesn't bother my baseball card collection."  
  
Keith and Laurie smiled and Keith tugged on Tracy's red hair. "What about you, Trace?"  
  
"I guess I could use another sister for a while. Then it would be three girls and three boys, just in case we wanted to play house."  
  
Keith rolled his eyes as Laurie giggled. "Okay, then, it's four to one, five counting Mom. Majority wins."  
  
Danny just shook his head, folding his arms. "Don't come running to me when this doesn't work out…" he said ominously.  
  
Keith just tousled his hair and led the kids back over to the window.  
  
Carly was drying her eyes under Shirley's motherly watch as the kids approached. Shirley looked up at Keith, and he nodded, his face split into a big grin. She smiled.  
  
Keith took a seat on a leather sofa adjacent to the one Shirley and Carly were on. He reached over, hesitantly touching her shoulder. "Carly, we've been talking it over, and we would like you to come stay with us for a while," he said, his face serious.  
  
She stared at him. Now she was hearing things! Had Keith Partridge, her fantasy lover, actually invited her to live in his very own house?   
  
When she didn't answer, Keith added a bit lamely, "If you want to, of course. We don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do…"  
  
She began to cry all over again, and Keith looked at his mother worriedly.  
  
Shirley put her arm around her. "Carly? What's the matter?"  
  
"I can't believe you would want to do this for me…after what I've put your family through. Oh, Mrs. Partridge, I just don't know what to say!"  
  
Shirley squeezed her shoulder. "Try saying yes."  
  
Sobbing, Carly barely got the word out, nodding and going back into Shirley's arms. Keith looked over at Danny, who just solemnly shook his head.  
  
  
  
continued... 


	6. Chapter 6

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 6  
  
The Partridge house was just as she expected it to be. She'd seen some photos of it before, and here it was now, in 3-D, living, beautiful color. She was still absorbing the fact that she was really there as she followed Shirley and Laurie to the guest room just off the stairway. Straight ahead, she saw Keith's room at the end of the hall and she felt her stomach flutter.  
  
"Here you go. There is fresh linen on the bed, a closet there, and the bathroom is right next door. I have a private one in my room that you're welcome to use if you'd rather not share it with the troops; it can get very busy, especially on a school morning," Shirley was saying.  
  
Carly barely heard her; she was still waiting to be awakened from this dream. Just two days ago, she was downing a handful of Lord knows what kind of pills, wanting to die because Keith Partridge had scorned her and now she was actually inside his house, with his very own bedroom just down the hall. It was so surreal!  
  
Laurie saw Carly's awe and put her arm around her. "We're just normal, everyday people, really. Especially Keith. Well, except for the normal part."  
  
That got her attention. Carly's head snapped around to face Laurie. "What do you mean?"  
  
Laurie smirked, looking over at her mother. "Think we should tell her?"  
  
"No," Shirley said with a sigh. "She wouldn't believe us anyway."  
  
Now, Carly was very interested. "You can tell me. I won't tell him you said anything," she said softly.  
  
Laurie nodded. "Okay, just one thing. He sleeps with an old, broken guitar string under his pillow. He says it gives him ideas for songs."  
  
Carly smiled, relieved to know it wasn't something completely bizarre. This was kind of sweet, she thought. "Does it work?"  
  
Laurie shrugged. "You've heard the songs. Pretty great stuff, so I guess it does." She laughed. "But don't tell Keith I told you. It was a family secret until now."  
  
"Cross my heart," Carly swore.   
  
"Okay, honey, dinner will be ready in a little while, then we have a rehearsal. I don't suppose you'd like to join us…?" Shirley said.  
  
Carly swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. A real, honest-to-goodness Partridge Family rehearsal, all to herself? "Well, okay, if you insist." She smiled. At this rate, she never wanted to go home!  
  
"Good. And tomorrow after school, maybe we can go shopping downtown, just you and me, how's that?" Laurie asked.  
  
Carly's eyes watered. These women were almost too nice to her! "I…don't have any money, but I can window shop…"  
  
"That's the best way," Laurie nodded. "But I still think you need a new outfit. You know, for your date."  
  
Carly's heart leaped. "Date?"  
  
"Oh, didn't Keith tell you? He wants to take you to the new movie playing at the Rialto."  
  
Her stomach twisted within. "He does?" It barely came out.  
  
Shirley nodded, smiling. "He said he feels he owes you at least that, seeing as you came all this way just for him."  
  
Carly sank down onto the bed. A date; with Keith Partridge. Dear Lord, may she never waken from this dream! "He doesn't have to. He's done too much already. All of you have. I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you."  
  
"Nonsense. We invited you, remember? You're here because we want you here. I don't want to hear anymore of that kind of talk, young lady. You are a part of this Family for the time being." Shirley scolded with a smile. "Now, I'm going to get dinner and leave you two to talk among yourselves."  
  
She gave Carly's hand a squeeze as she exited and the girl shook her head in amazement.   
  
"I suppose you'd like to see Keith's room, hmm?" Laurie grinned. "I can show it to you really quick. I think he's in the garage setting up for rehearsal. But if he catches us, play dumb, okay?"  
  
Carly giggled and nodded, following her out. They hurried down the hall, looking behind them as they went. Laurie stopped at the door, putting her hand up to hush her co-conspirator and knocked softly.   
"Keith?" She called, then turned to Carly, whispering, "Just checking."  
  
All was quiet and Laurie twisted the knob, motioning Carly forward. Not two seconds later, they were in. Laurie stood guard by the door, her face showing amusement at Carly's reaction.  
  
Her mouth hung open. She knew it was, but at the moment, she didn't care. Here she was in Keith Partridge's bedroom and she could utterly not believe it. She fought back the lump in her throat as she scanned the room. There was a four-poster bed against the wall, covered in a blue and red plaid bedspread, a poster of Jimi Hendrix on the opposite wall, a teardrop shaped peace sign hanging in a corner, and a semi-cluttered desk against the far wall. On it she saw schoolbooks and papers, pens and a radio. Then, leaning next to the closet door, which was closed, darn it, was an acoustic guitar that had a patina to it, showing that it had been used quite a bit. The entire scene took her breath away.   
  
Almost reverently, Carly reached out, touching the bedspread as Laurie still hovered near the door, keeping watch.  
  
"Check out the guitar string under the pillow," Laurie nodded.  
  
Carly obeyed, lifting the pillow and peering under it. It was clear and hard to see at first, but then she spotted it, coiled there on top of the sheet. She smiled and gently lowered the pillow. "I think that's cute. I mean, I sleep with his picture under my pillow, so why not?"  
  
Laurie crinkled her nose. "THAT would give me nightmares."  
  
There was noise on the stairs and Laurie's eyes widened. "Someone's coming!" She grabbed Carly's wrist and literally yanked her out of the room, closing the door. They were halfway back to the guest room when Keith rounded the corner.  
  
"Oh, there you are. Getting the grand tour, are you?"  
  
Still breathless from nearly getting caught, Carly nodded.  
  
Keith grinned. "I hope you didn't go into my room. It's a mess."  
  
"Oh, it's not-" Carly began, but Laurie stepped hard on her foot.   
  
"Why would we want to go in there? I was just going to show her Tracy's and my room." Laurie said, nudging Carly forward.  
  
"I can hardly wait for rehearsal," Carly called back to him as he watched them move off, a puzzled look on his face.  
  
Shrugging, he went into his room and closed the door behind him.  
  
  
  
Dinner was wonderful, but seemed to last an eternity. Carly had a feeling that Shirley had told her children to behave, because it was almost eerily quiet. Keith had tried to draw her out; get her to tell more of her past, but she adamantly avoided complete answers. Besides, if they found out her last name, her hometown or anything like that, she would be on the next bus back to Muncie in nothing flat.  
  
"Why don't we have dessert after rehearsal?" Shirley rose, starting to clear the table. "I'll make you all earn it for a change."  
  
Keith wiped his mouth on his napkin, glancing at Carly who sat beside him. "I set up a place just for you to watch. If you get bored, though, we won't be insulted if you want to come back into the house and watch television or something."  
  
"Yeah," Danny grumbled, pushing around the remainder of his carrots on the plate with his fork. "Rehearsals are b-o-r-i-n-g unless you know how to play. Do you know how to play anything?" He looked hard at her.  
  
"No, not really. I can do chopsticks on the piano is all. And I don't see how a rehearsal with you guys could be boring!" Carly answered.  
  
"Hah, fresh meat," Keith chuckled. "Just wait until you hear the same song five times. You'll change your mind."  
  
"That's for sure. The same song, with Keith's voice changing pitch every time," Laurie teased.  
  
He pulled a face at her, pushing his chair back. "Very funny, Laurie. At least I play the right chords each time." To Laurie's tongue, he put his hand on the back of Carly's chair. "Come on, I'll take you to the garage."  
  
He led her out as the others stood, ready to join them. Only Danny stayed in his chair. Laurie looked over at him while the rest filed out.  
"Coming, Danny?"  
  
"Does she have to come to our rehearsal, too?"  
  
"Why shouldn't she?"  
  
"I dunno. She keeps…hanging around."  
  
Laurie laughed. "What do you want her to do? She lives here, now. For a while, anyway."  
  
"Yeah," Danny mumbled. "Whoopee."  
  
Shaking her head, Laurie motioned him up. "Come on, let's not hold up the rehearsal."  
  
  
  
Carly was literally being sung to sleep. Keith's voice, as gentle and soothing as it was, floated in her mind as she sat on the floor on the pile of comforters next to a large trunk. It had been such a long day and it was so warm in the garage that she found herself drifting off. At first she fought to stay awake, forcing her eyes to stay open, but the exhaustion finally won out and she fell asleep in the middle of the third round of "Morning Rider on the Road."  
  
The Partridges all noticed their guest was no longer 'with' them and when Keith brought the song to a close, he put his guitar down, grateful for the break it gave them.   
  
"Well, Keith, it finally happened. You bored someone to sleep with your voice," Laurie poked him.  
  
"Oh, you're a laugh a minute." Keith stretched tiredly.  
  
"Yeah, Laurie. You're a regular Red Skelton. Besides, I've seen plenty of girls fall asleep at our shows," Danny added with a sly grin.  
  
"You should record a Lullabye album," Tracy suggested.  
  
"Are you people through insulting me?" Keith demanded with a sigh.  
  
The kids exchanged looks. "No!" they chorused.  
  
"Shh!" Shirley hushed them. "Don't wake Carly up."  
  
"Are we leaving her to sleep out here?" Danny asked almost hopefully.  
  
"No, of course not. When it gets closer to bedtime, we'll take her upstairs," Laurie answered, leading Chris, Tracy and Shirley to the door.  
  
"We?" Danny frowned. "Not me, I'm not carrying anything bigger than Simone. Or maybe Tracy."  
  
"Look, Henny Youngman, we'll wake her up and then get her upstairs," Keith sneered. "You guys go on ahead. I've got some stuff to do in here."  
  
"Like what?" Danny wanted to know as the rest of the Partridges exited.  
  
"Like fixing your amp. You sounded like you were on a 50's radio broadcast or something."  
  
Danny shrugged. "You would know." He slipped out of his guitar strap. "What can I do to help?"  
  
Keith looked surprisedly at him. "You want to help? Since when?"  
  
"Since SHE came here," Danny pointed a chubby finger at the still-sleeping Carly. "I don't like the fact that you'll be alone with her."  
  
"Oh, really?" Keith smirked. "I don't recall asking for a chaperone."  
  
"Well, as long as she's here, you've got one. She bugs me." Danny climbed up on a stool as Keith picked up the amplifier.  
  
"Danny, I appreciate your concern, but Carly is my responsibility. I'm the reason she's here, and I intend to see this through. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but that's the way it's got to be."  
  
Now Danny's face was oddly serious. "It does bother me. It bothers me a lot. Something's wrong with this picture, Keith. She gets you in a lot of trouble with the police and the media and you're treating her like some Princess or something."  
  
Keith peered closely at the amplifier. "There's no point in arguing over this, Danny. You just don't understand. I have a responsibility to this girl. She's all alone here and it's because of me. Now, either shut up about it, get me the screwdriver and help me or go back in the house."  
  
Danny glared at the back of his brother's head, sliding down off the stool.  
  
Keith got Danny's answer when the door slammed behind him.  
  
  
  
continued.... 


	7. Chapter 7

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 7  
  
For the next few days, life in the Partridge household was fairly routine. The kids went to school in the morning, leaving Carly and Shirley to themselves. Carly would ask Shirley a myriad of questions about Keith, show business or some other such subject, and Shirley would ask Carly questions about her personal life, but to no avail. Four days of grilling and still she wasn't about to spill it, to Shirley's chagrin.  
  
It wasn't until Thursday afternoon when things began to pick up. Reuben arrived with an announcement for a Saturday gig in Redwood City. All of the kids were home, now, and talk of the show made the rounds at the dinner table.  
  
"I remember we played there last year," Laurie said. "It was in the banquet room of the hotel, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yeah. It was small, dark and stuffy in there. I hope this gig's not in the same place," Keith frowned.  
  
"Actually, no it's not," Reuben chimed in. It amused Carly to see just how often the man would show up at dinner time. He'd eaten with them twice since she'd been there!  
  
"Good. I almost fell off the box they stuck me on," Tracy twisted her spaghetti around her fork in a failed attempt to actually get some to her mouth. Carly smiled, reaching over and helping her while the Partridges kept discussing.  
  
"It's at a zoo of some sort if I remember correctly." Reuben buttered a roll.  
  
"Hey, Danny, that sounds like the perfect place for you. You get on our nerves, they can lock you in with the rest of the monkeys!" Keith teased.  
  
Danny looked at Carly as she helped his little sister with her spaghetti. "Whatever. I suppose Carly will be going."  
  
"Of course Carly's going! Whatever gave you the idea that she wasn't?" Shirley frowned as Carly looked up.  
  
"Nothing. I just thought maybe she'd rather GO HOME instead," Danny muttered.  
  
He felt the wrath of Keith's boot against his shin. "Ignore him, Carly. He's just mad because he flunked a math test yesterday," Keith said evenly, glaring hard at his little brother.  
  
"If…if it's going to be a problem…" Carly looked worried.  
  
"No problem at all. You're coming with us. It's Danny we should leave home," Laurie glared at her little brother as well.  
  
"Yeah, let's do that." Chris nodded, stuffing a meatball into his mouth.  
  
"No one is staying at home! We're all going and we're all going to have a great time, now is that clear?" Shirley's voice rose as she looked at her middle son.  
  
Keith grinned over at Carly. "Looks like we'd better get our date over and done with before we leave town. I only have a couple of late classes tomorrow. Do you want to see the movie tonight, or would you rather wait until Friday night? It'll be less crowded if we go tonight."  
  
Carly swallowed. "Well, okay, tonight's fine with me. You really don't have to do this, you know."  
  
He flashed his dimple and she swore she could feel it whiz by. "I know, but I want to." Checking his watch, he stood up. "We'd better get moving, then. It's almost seven."  
  
Danny scowled, putting his head on his hand, his elbow resting on the table. If he had his way, he thought, Carly wouldn't be going anywhere; especially not with his brother!  
  
  
  
It was dark and chilly when Keith and Carly exited the Rialto, and despite having a light sweater on, Carly shivered visibly.  
  
"Here," Keith smiled, slipping out of his brown suede jacket. "Don't want you to get the flu right before our show. My singing might make your head ache even more." He draped the jacket over her shoulders and she stopped walking, looking up at him. He was only about an inch and a half taller than she was, but right now, he seemed ten feet tall.  
  
"Oh, please, don't even say that. Your voice is…magnificent! I could listen to you sing all day! And I often have. When my mom and dad are working, I play your records for company."  
  
"Yeah? You must be pretty hard up for company, then."  
  
She saw him wink in the streetlight above. "Oh, Keith, you honestly don't know what you…what you and your family mean to me. You were always there when I came home from school, no matter what. I would go into my room, put on a record and look at the pictures of you on the wall. No matter how I was feeling, you always had a smile on your face and pretty soon, I was smiling, too." She almost poured out her confession to him and she was grateful that he didn't speak, just like his pictures. She stared up at him for real, now, and saw the true, three-dimensional beauty of his face. His skin was smooth and just lightly freckled; his long eyelashes swept downward over the most deep, wide-set eyes she had ever seen. His nose was straight and his lips were full and perfect. She was falling in love all over again, and this time it wasn't with a photograph in a magazine. If he would just kiss her…  
  
He cocked his head and her heart leaped into her throat.   
  
"Carly…"  
  
She put her finger against his lips, shaking her head. She had to stand a little on her toes, but she did it. She pressed her lips into his, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting his jacket slip to the sidewalk.  
  
As she pulled away, fear replaced passion. What had she done?! Suppose he was angry at her brazenness? She looked down at the sidewalk, wishing it would just open up and swallow her whole.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, Keith…" she whispered.  
  
He licked his lips. "For what?"  
  
He head popped up. "For…kissing you."  
  
He smiled. "Why? Didn't you like it?" He grinned, his eyes sparkling in the light from above.  
  
"Of course I liked it!" She sounded irritated at his sparring with her. "And I'd do it again, but…"  
  
"But what? Come on, I dare you." He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, looking her square in the eye.  
  
She glared at his cockiness, but he was just too darn irresistible. She threw her arms around him, her mouth finding his there again in the pale lamplight.   
  
  
  
The ride home felt as if she were floating on a cloud. She had actually kissed him; not once, mind you, but twice! And the second time, when he hadn't been taken unawares, he kissed BACK! Unbelievable, that's what it was, completely mind-boggling! She, Carly Stratton, a plain, ordinary fifteen-year-old girl from Muncie, Indiana had kissed Keith Partridge, America's Teen Heart-throb, smack, full on the lips! She felt like laughing and crying all at once.  
  
They hadn't said much to one another about what had taken place outside the Rialto, for which she was more than grateful. His silence unnerved her at first, but then she convinced herself that it only meant that he was fleshing out his feelings. Even now, as she sat beside him in the front seat of the car, he looked thoughtful, pensive. She just hoped he wasn't angry.   
  
"So, what did you think of the movie?" Carly asked out of the blue. Anything but silence.  
  
He shrugged. "I've seen worse. The ending could have been better, and whoever wrote the music must have done it in a blender. I've heard better songs on Sesame Street," he smiled, taking his eyes off the road briefly to look at her.  
  
"Oh, I agree. You could have done so much better."  
It was hard to tell in the shadows, but she was sure he was blushing.   
  
"You're just saying that."  
  
"No, I'm not. You know how I love your music." She wanted so badly to mention the broken guitar string, but it wouldn't have been a good time to lose his trust, now. "I can see it now…and the Oscar for the best musical score goes to…Keith Partridge!" She waved her arm.  
  
He laughed. "Oscar, huh? You dream big!"  
  
"You have NO idea."   
  
"Actually, yeah, I do." He looked at her. "Carly, I know this is sudden and kinda corny, but…I don't want you to go home."  
  
She gasped as he looked over at her, his face completely serious.  
  
"You don't?"  
  
He shook his head, reaching over and sweeping his hand under her chin. "Not at all." His voice was soft and low.  
  
She swallowed hard. "You're just saying THAT."  
  
She could see his teeth glinting in the darkness. "No, I'm not."  
  
He stroked her cheek with his forefinger and she reached up, taking his hand and holding it against her face.   
  
Then, all too soon, they were home.  
  
continued....  



	8. Chapter 8

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 8  
  
Friday morning could not have gone any faster. While the kids were in school, Shirley, Reuben and Carly began to load the bus for the short drive to Redwood City. Laurie and the three youngest Partridges had left the house early, but Keith's first class wasn't until eleven and he had done his part in the loading so that they could leave right after school. Reuben had wanted them to be there half a day early, to set up and get all of the technical things out of the way so the Family could do a local radio interview before the concert.  
  
As it was, now, it was heading onto three o'clock and Carly, who had found the work hard but exhilarating, took a quick break inside the bus. She literally fell onto the closest seat and put her feet up, resting her back against the windowed wall.   
  
Outside, she saw Shirley exit the house with a clipboard and she watched as the mater of this busy little singing group poored over the papers jammed onto it.  
  
Not long afterwards, Reuben came out of the house, his face bunched in a worried look, which at first, didn't set off any alarms in Carly's mind; the manager was always looking a little worried.  
  
"Shirley," she heard him say, "I just talked with Chief Thompson of the Muncie, Indiana police."  
  
Startled, Carly sat up in the seat, straining to hear.  
  
"Muncie, Indiana?" Shirley looked puzzled.  
  
Reuben nodded. "They finally tracked down our little runaway's parents. They're flying out tomorrow to get her."  
  
Carly suddenly felt sick. She wondered how they found out…not that it mattered. She couldn't go home, now. Not with all that had happened! Her heart pounding, she carefully slid the bus' window open so she could hear them more clearly.  
  
"Oh, I'm so glad. Not that I've not enjoyed her staying here, but she really needs to go home. But, let's not tell her, okay, not yet. I don't want to spoil her little adventure," Shirley said.  
  
Reuben frowned deeper. "You're still not taking her with you to the concert! I think we should turn her over to the police until her parents come for her."  
  
His words frightened Carly and it was all she could do not to just pick up and run right then and there. There was no way she was going to go with the police! She'd heard horror stories about how they treated runaways, and she wasn't going to be their next victim! Besides, Keith loved her. He hadn't said it outright, but he did; she knew it. He told her himself that he didn't want her to go home. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, would he? Oh, where was he, now that she needed him?!  
  
"Oh, Reuben, it won't hurt to let her have one last little fling. She's a sweet girl and the kids love her. She should at least see the show, and then we can let her go."  
  
Reuben sighed. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything. I'll see what time her folks get in to San Pueblo and we'll work around that. Do you want to tell Keith, or should we wait and tell them both at the same time?"  
  
"I think we should tell Keith and HE can tell Carly. It might be easier to hear, coming from him. She really has a crush on him," Shirley smiled.  
  
'Love, Mrs. Partridge. Not crush; full-fledged love,' Carly thought, tears streaming down her face.   
  
Now, they were coming onto the bus and Carly slid down in the seat, pretending to be asleep.  
  
Shirley came up the aisle first, smiling behind her at Reuben when she saw what she thought was Carly's sleeping form.  
  
"Looks like we tired her out. Poor thing; she looks uncomfortable." Shirley reached down, touching Carly's shoulder. "Carly, honey, come on, wake up."  
  
Stirring, Carly looked as sleepy as she could.   
"Hmmm?" she murmured, sitting up and blinking; rubbing her eyes.  
  
"The kids will be home and we'll be leaving soon. Have you packed your things, yet?"  
  
"Oh, no, I haven't. I don't have a suitcase. I suppose I could use a trash bag." Carly stretched.  
  
"Nonsense. Laurie has an extra case. It's in her room in the closet. Why don't you go and get it while Reuben and I go over our check list,' Shirley smiled sweetly down at her.  
  
"Okay; you're sure Laurie won't mind…"  
  
"I'm positive. It's up on her closet shelf; a pink and white one. You can't miss it."  
  
Carly pushed herself up. "Thank you, Mrs. Partridge." She moved past them, flashing a phony smile at Reuben. Send ME home, will you, Mr. Flashy Manager, she thought as she went to the front of the bus. 'Carly Stratton isn't going anywhere without a fight!'  
  
  
  
Tearing open the kitchen drawer, Carly pawed through the contents until she found exactly what she was looking for. It was a butcher knife; with a six-inch blade. She stared long and hard at it, and upon hearing the cuckoo clock in the living room strike three, Carly quickly slammed the drawer shut, the knife still shining in her hand. She hurried for the staircase, her heart racing as she went into Laurie and Tracy's room.   
  
She opened the closet door and saw the small case sitting on the shelf. She could barely reach it, but managed after a moment to pull it down. Flipping the top, she carefully slipped the knife in the gathered pocket on the back of the lid, then snapped the case shut.  
  
As she turned to leave, she was startled to see Danny standing in the doorway. She stifled a scream.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" he frowned.  
  
Clutching the case by the handle, Carly pressed her hand into her chest. "Oh, Danny, you scared me!"  
  
He stood his ground, his freckled face serious. "What are you doing in here?" he repeated.  
  
Carly held up the case. "Your mom said I could borrow this for the night."  
  
He remained skeptical. "Uh huh," he said.  
  
"She did; not five minutes ago." Carly assured him. "You can ask her yourself."  
  
"I will."   
  
Carly sagged. "Danny, why don't you like me?"  
  
He shrugged. "I never said I didn't like you."  
  
"You didn't have to. I can see how you act every time we meet. Especially when I'm with Keith."  
  
He looked away.   
  
She smiled softly. "If you're worried about me and Keith, don't. I know I'm a little young for him. But I do love him, Danny. I love him more than anything in the world."  
  
He looked at her almost stupidly. "How can you love him? You don't even know him. He's just a picture in a magazine to you. He's MY brother."  
  
"I know, but I've come to know him better these past few days."  
  
"Yeah, after you got him in all sorts of trouble. He was really upset with you, you know that? He couldn't figure out why a total stranger would do this over someone like him. He went crazy, trying to figure all this out." Danny tried to keep a steady voice, but it was getting more and more difficult.  
  
Carly nodded sadly. "He told me."  
  
"Did he tell you he was thinking of folding the group, huh, did he tell you that?" Danny's voice cracked as it got louder.   
  
She shook her head as Laurie stepped in. "Woah, what's all this shouting?" She had her purse slung over one shoulder, but no schoolbooks in hand.  
  
"Nothing," Danny mumbled. He turned to leave, muttering some more. "Just…go back to Indiana where you belong."  
  
Carly gaped. How did Danny know? She glared after him, realizing that either his mother had gotten to him first, or he'd squealed on her. She was willing to bet it was the latter. The question was, how did he find out?  
  
He moved off and Laurie shook her head. "Just ignore him, like usual." She smiled, "Oh, good, I see you found the case."   
  
"Yes…you're sure you don't mind me using it?"  
  
"Nope. You can keep it if you want to. You'll need it for when you go home, anyway."  
  
Carly eyed Laurie with suspicion. She knew, too?   
Seeing Carly's reaction, Laurie put her hand on her shoulder. "You know, wherever and whenever that is."  
  
The older girl's smile eased the tension. Laurie didn't know. But Danny did. He had to have told on her.  
  
"Are you excited for the show?" Laurie tossed her purse on the dresser next to the bed. "Have you seen us perform before?"  
  
"Twice, back in…back home. I had to sneak away the first time. My mom didn't want me going alone, but I didn't have any friends to go with me, so I went anyway." Carly smiled. "It was the best thing I ever did; worth every punishment they gave me when I got home."  
  
"Don't you miss home, Carly? Your mom, your dad? I can just imagine they're in hysterics wondering where you are by now." Laurie sat on the bed, looking up at her, her blue eyes piercing Carly's brown ones.  
  
Carly's gaze moved to the floor. "They probably are, but…I like it here with you and your family. I might call my folks when we get to Redwood City, just to let them know I'm okay."  
  
Laurie grinned, nodding. "I think that would be a terrific idea. You could call them from here, too, before we leave, you know."  
  
"No, that's okay." Not surprisingly, Carly waved her off. She looked at the clock on the dresser. "I think your mom said we were leaving at 3:30; it's almost that now."  
  
Laurie, too, looked at the clock. "You're right. We'll probably have to wait a bit for Keith. I saw him in the auto shop class; grease up to his elbows. He'll want to take a shower and clean up. He's so meticulous about how he looks. He drives me crazy!"  
  
Carly laughed. 'Me, too,' she thought, 'but in an entirely different way...'  
  
continued....  



	9. Chapter 9

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 9  
  
They would only be on the road for an hour, give or take a few minutes for traffic, and Carly was just amazed at the efficiency in which the family and Reuben had packed and loaded the bus. Most of it had been done by the time the kids returned from school, but still and all, there were personal items still to get and the costumes to retrieve from the cleaners. Keith hadn't held them up all that much, and they were only half an hour past their planned starting time.  
  
Carly took a seat farther back in the bus so she could watch how the family interacted with one another; trying to savor these last few precious moments with them. She still balked at the idea of going home, and, alone in the back of the bus, she began to imagine a scenario of how she would react when they finally told her. It was definitely not going to be an easy takedown, that she promised herself. She knew that Keith would side with her, so he wasn't a problem. It was Danny she needed to keep an eye on. She could sense his dislike for her the moment they met, and no matter how much Carly tried to be his friend, the youngster was not going to be bought.   
  
She closed her eyes and lay back against the window, much like she had earlier, and soon she drifted off to a real sleep, this time.  
  
========  
Someone was shaking her, calling her name, and Carly jumped awake. Keith towered over her, his perfect features slowly coming into focus.  
  
"C'mon, sleepyhead, we're here."  
  
She looked around her. The bus was practically empty, now, much to her surprise.  
  
Keith read her thoughts. "We're all unloaded and they're setting up for a sound check. Want to join us?"  
  
"Sure! I…just need to check my makeup. Do you know where Laurie's…my bag is?"  
  
"The pink and white one? I think it's on the floor behind you." He smiled. "I'll meet you outside, then."  
  
She nodded, watching his behind as he moved off down the aisle. It was a view she would cherish forever. She wondered if he always wore his jeans tight like that, or if this was a special occasion?   
  
Sighing, she got up, retrieving the bag from the floor. Taking the knife from it's hiding place, she slipped it into the homemade sheath she'd fashioned out of a piece of cardboard, then tucked it carefully inside her waistband. She didn't want to have to end up using it, but she would if they pressed her.  
  
Primping her hair, she closed the bag and got up, joining Keith outside the bus. He was the only one around for now, and she grinned happily, slipping her hand into his.  
  
"The techs are setting up the stage, so we have a second to ourselves. Let's take a walk and check out the animals." Keith told her, tugging her arm.  
  
Carly had forgotten that the venue was an honest to goodness zoo, complete with wild animals in huge cages and even a small petting zoo for the youngsters of man and animal. Zoos had always been sad places for her. She disliked seeing nature behind iron fences. The animals should be in their natural habitats; not locked up so little children could sneer at them and call them names. Still, as she and Keith wandered the cobblestone paths that wound around the area, she could help but stare at the beauty these beasts possessed. Not to mention the one holding her hand. It was hard not to stare at him, too, as he pointed out the different species, identifying them from the placards that were posted on the fences.   
  
"Ah, here's a good one…" he was saying. "Cricetomys gambianus: A giant pouched rat.   
Huh…Danny has an animal to call his own."  
  
He laughed, tossing his head back as Carly stepped back, looking at him. "Keith Partridge, you are mean!"  
  
"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing!"  
  
She giggled. "Okay, I confess; your brother did come to mind. I just didn't dare say it out loud."  
  
He laughed again as they moved off toward an enclosed area that looked interesting. The sign swinging above the entrance said, "Tropical Rain Forest," and when they entered, they were met with warm, humid air and the sound of crashing waterfalls. The entire area was filled with millions of tropical plants and hundreds of colorful birds. There were pools of water surrounding the path, and Keith and Carly stopped walking, feeling as though they just entered paradise.   
  
"Wow, look at this place!" Keith shouted above the sound of the waterfalls that cascaded down on either side of them from high above.  
  
"It's beautiful!" Carly shouted back, watching a parrot fly from one huge tree to another.  
  
They realized that talking was fruitless, so they just wandered up the path, looking at the amazing scenery. Carly stopped, tugging on Keith's arm to point out the giant goldfish swimming in the ponds below them, and he nodded.   
  
They walked slowly up one side and down the other until they were back at the entrance, and as they stepped out into the real world, Keith shook his head. "Man, I could die a happy man in there! That was completely amazing!"  
  
"It was, wasn't it? I didn't know places like that existed in the world. It was like the Garden of Eden in the Bible!" Carly agreed. She looked at him. His hair was damp and sticking to his head from the humidity and his shirt was even wet, clinging to his body. He was even sexier to her than before! Then she realized that she must look pretty damp herself, and looked down. Her shirt was indeed wet, almost revealing the knife still tucked in her waistband. She quickly began to fan her shirt to dry it as he reached over, wiping the moisture from her face with his thumb.  
  
"Look at us…we look like we've been swimming with all our clothes on," he grinned.  
  
"We do, don't we? Well, a few more minutes in the sun and we'll be dry as toast." She caressed his shoulder.  
  
He bent down and kissed her and she sagged against him, her fingers digging into his chest.  
  
When they parted, he swallowed, looking into her eyes. "Carly, I have something to tell you…"  
  
Danny's cry interrupted him. "Hey, Keith, come on, time for sound check!"  
  
They looked over to see the red-head coming up the path toward them.  
  
"I'll be there in a second," Keith called down to him.  
  
"Reuben said, NOW, so we can have some publicity photos shot."  
  
"Oh, for Pete's sake…" Keith mumbled. "Let's get this over with." He squeezed Carly's hand. "I'm sorry, but it's gonna have to wait. It's pretty important, so don't let me forget, okay?"  
  
She nodded and they hurried back down the way they'd come.  
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 10  
  
The Partridges had a small audience for the sound check; zoo workers and patrons had wandered over to the stage area, sitting down and watching the group as they tested their instruments, directed the lighting and jammed. The latter was pretty much only Keith as he would show his boredom with the entire process by breaking into a hard rocking number with his guitar, a far cry from the Partridge portfolio. He was impressing those around him, Carly could tell, and from her seat there on the front row, she smiled, bursting with pride. Once in a while, he would look down at her, catch her eye and grin big as he let loose on the guitar, making the amps almost jump off the stage.  
  
"Play something by the Stones," one of the drink vendors called from behind Carly.  
  
Keith looked thoughtful, adjusted the instrument around his neck and suddenly broke into "Satisfaction" with a vigor that Jagger himself would envy. Danny soon joined in with the bass and Chris kept the beat with the drums as the girls watched, not wanting any part of this raucous action.  
  
Carly was enjoying the whole thing; it wasn't often a fan got a behind the scenes look at the Partridges, and she knew she was lucky to even be there. As she watched her second Family proudly, Carly noticed a uniformed policeman sort of hovering in the back and her stomach tightened. Was he there for the Partridge's security or for her? Reuben had said he would let her have her fun, at least until after the show, but suppose Danny….?  
  
Quickly rising, Carly slipped behind the stage and out of the cops' sight.  
  
She was in near hysterics by the time Keith joined her backstage fifteen long minutes later.   
  
"I saw you leave; what happened? You look pale. Are you okay?" he took her arm, his lovely face concerned.  
  
She nodded. She couldn't tell him, of course, so she tried to shake it off. "I'm fine. Oh, Keith, let's go back up to the Rain Forest…just for a little while…it was so beautiful!"  
  
"You forget, I have a photo shoot," he said softly. Seeing her anxiety, he smiled, putting his hand on the back of her neck and kissing her head. "But we can go back there right after. Maybe we can buy a couple of hot dogs and some fries and have a picnic up there. I noticed there were some benches along the sides, near the waterfall."  
  
She relaxed. "Okay…I - I think I'll wait for you here, if that's okay."  
  
He nodded. "Good choice. Those photo ops are really boring. I'll try to sneak away as soon as I can."  
  
She went forward, hugging him. "Okay. Then you can tell me what it is you needed to. Hurry back."  
  
He kissed her cheek and turned, moving off, and she watched him walk away. Then she went into one of the dressing trailers, and locked the door behind her.  
  
  
  
About an hour later, Carly ventured outside the trailer, looking around the canopied stage area for any sign of the policeman, but thankfully, he was gone. She continued to wander the backstage area alone, waiting for Keith and the others to return from the photo shoot. Finally hearing his voice, along with the others, she almost ran to him, but in catching a snippet of their conversation, she stopped her dead in her tracks.  
  
"I can't believe you guys want her to go home." Keith was saying.  
  
"Keith, she has her own family, and it's not right that we keep her from them." That was Reuben.  
  
"I know, but…"  
  
"Don't tell me you love her."  
  
"I don't know. I like her, sure."  
  
Carly jerked back. He didn't love her! Anger and confusion began to swirl inside her.   
  
Now, Danny piped in, "After what she did to you? Are you nuts?"  
  
"I lived through it, didn't I? She's a very sick girl…I can't just turn my back on her. That's why I invited her to stay with us. I felt I owed it to her. She'd be home right now if it weren't for me; I'm obligated to her, don't you think?"  
  
Carly was growing more and more despondent with each word that was said. He didn't love her after all; he was just feeling sorry for her. She'd been right about him in the first place! Suppressing a sob, she ran back for the trailer before they saw her.  
  
A few minutes later, Keith poked his head in the door. "Carly? You still here?"  
  
She was standing, looking out the window. The tears hadn't come, not this time, and there was no way she was letting him see her feelings. She turned. "Yes. How was the photo shoot?" She asked almost stoically.  
  
"Long and tedious. My face actually hurts from all that smiling."  
  
She forced a smile. "I can imagine you get tired of smiling when you don't feel like it. It must be hard to put on an act all the time, right, Keith?"  
  
If he caught her sarcasm, he didn't show it. "Boy, I'll say. Hey, you ready for our picnic?"  
  
She looked surprised. "You still want to go with me?"  
  
"Sure," he smiled. "Let's go before they come up with something else for me to do."  
  
Well put, she thought. Until they find something better for you to do, you mean. She put her hand on her side, feeling the knife still in its place. "Okay, let's go." She moved past him out the door.  
  
continued.... 


	11. Chapter 11

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 11  
  
The footlongs and fries were warm in her hand as she followed Keith up the path to the Rain Forest. Her other hand was in his, limp and unfeeling, as if she wasn't sure she even wanted to be with him at all. He hadn't noticed her change of demeanor, which would be typical of someone all caught up in himself the way Keith was. He didn't care about her; he'd lied. For six days he'd lied to her, pretending to like her; no, love her. Well, he would be sorry he'd even met her before this day was over!  
  
The loud crashing of the water and the humidity greeted them once again as they entered the cavernous area and he stopped, taking in the beauty all around them. To Keith, it was pure heaven and he took a long, deep breath while she let go of his hand and walked over towards a long bench by the immense waterfall. He hadn't even noticed she'd left him.   
  
She flopped down on the seat, staring down at the food in her hand, having no appetite whatsoever now. She picked at the hot dog bun, tossing little pieces of it into the water and watching the goldfish gobble it up.  
  
He was at her side. "That does it. I'm gonna buy a house in Hawaii," he said, taking a seat beside her.   
She didn't respond and he looked at her with a strange expression. "Carly? Something wrong?"  
  
She shook her head, trying not to look at him. "No." She continued to feed the fish, now with the french fries.  
  
"You seem upset. Ever since sound check, you've been acting…funny. Are you sure everything's okay?"  
  
She forced herself to look at him. "You wanted to tell me something. You told me to remind you," she said, her voice showing no emotion.  
  
He hesitated. "Oh…yeah." There was a long pause. "They…the authorities tracked down your parents, Carly. They're coming to get you tomorrow after we get back to San Pueblo."  
  
She stared into her lap, determined not to cry. There was a hint of sadness in his voice, but she wasn't convinced that it wasn't part of an act.  
  
"I guess you'll be glad to be rid of me." She said it softly, and with the thundering of the water, it was all he could do to hear her.  
  
He shook his head. "Now, what makes you say that? I've loved every minute you've been with us."  
  
She began to drop, no, throw the french fries into the water. "I don't believe you." She shouted it and at first he thought she was just trying to be heard over the water, but she whirled on him, her eyes wide.  
  
"Carly…" he started, but she began to cry.  
  
"You LIED to me, Keith! You led me on. I thought you loved me, but you don't!" she screamed, standing up and turning away from him.  
  
Angrily, she threw her food, wrappers and all, into the water and when she turned around again, he saw the knife in her hand.  
  
"Carly, please! What are you doing?" He clambered to his feet. If she was going to kill him, it would be the perfect place. No one would hear him cry out.   
  
"You're nothing to me, Keith! You're just a phony smile in a magazine centerfold! You never liked me; you just felt sorry for me! I don't need you! I hate you!"  
  
Without hesitation, she started slashing at her wrists and he was shocked to see the blood.  
  
"Carly, no!" Keith cried, his heart pounding hard. "No, please! Give me the knife!"  
  
She was completely hysterical now and he lunged forward, reaching for the weapon. She fought him tooth and nail, screaming that she hated him and what he'd done. It was like taming a wild cat!  
  
Then, after a moment, he felt the knife plunge into his right side, just below his ribcage. She saw the horrified look on his face.  
  
Clutching his side, he staggered backwards. He looked down, his eyes wide, and saw blood on his hands.  
  
Carly stopped dead still, now, her own arms still dripping with blood. She just stared, gaping at him as he sank to his knees, his face twisted in pain, clawing at the bench with his left hand. He didn't make a sound, then again, she was numb.  
  
"Keith!" she screamed, dropping the knife. It, too, hit the cobblestones in silence.  
  
He looked at her, fear and pain in his eyes. He could only shake his head, trying to breathe, but, god, it hurt to do so. He began to lurch forward.  
  
She dashed to him, grabbing him before he was all the way to the floor. "Oh, god, Keith, no…don't die on me! It was an accident! I didn't mean for you…" her words trailed off. She held him against her, feeling the warmth of his blood as it mixed with hers. The cuts on her wrists were superficial compared to the wound she'd put in his side.  
  
He clung to her, eyes fading; coughing hard. He was moaning, now, and she cuddled him, trying to think of what to do. If she left and got help, he could end up dying alone, but if she stayed and did nothing, he would surely die…  
  
So, she began to pray. Please, God, help me…tell me what to do…send someone in here to find us…  
  
Within seconds, her prayer was answered. She heard Danny's voice over the roar of the falls. "Keith!" It echoed.  
  
Holding Keith tightly, Carly looked up, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Danny! Get some help! Keith's hurt! Oh, god, hurry!"  
  
For a moment, Danny just stood there, staring at them, then he turned on his heel and ran out.  
  
Carly looked down. A deep crimson penetrated both their shirts, now, and she could see Keith struggling for breath. She was sure he was in the throes of death as he moaned, limp and lifeless there in her arms. His chin was on his chest and she thought she saw blood coming out of his mouth; but with so much of it around, she couldn't tell from where it was emitting. She sobbed, petting his head and talking into his ear.  
  
"Come on, Keith, stay with me…you can do it. Please…think of your family…you can't die on them, now. They need you. I need you."  
  
She heard a commotion and looked up to see Shirley and Laurie running toward them.  
  
"Oh, dear God…Keith! Carly! What's happened?" Shirley wailed, falling to her knees and gathering her son to her.  
  
Carly let him go to his mother, sobbing into her blood-stained hands. "I stabbed him…it was an accident! I was trying to kill myself and he tried to stop me. The knife slipped. Oh, god, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"  
  
Shaking, Laurie stood the girl up, hugging her. "We know…calm down; this isn't helping Keith any," she told her. "Reuben's calling an ambulance."  
  
Shirley looked up at them. "Go out there and meet them."  
  
Laurie nodded, pulling Carly away from the scene, glad to be away from it herself.  
  
The girls stumbled out of the entrance and were greeted by Reuben, who, upon seeing all the blood, seemed completely in shock. "What happened?"  
  
Now, Laurie was sobbing, too. "There was an accident with a knife. Keith's in there in a pool of blood…" she put her hand over her mouth and bolted down the path.  
  
"Who had the knife…are you okay?" Reuben began firing questions at Carly. Had they been attacked by a stranger? What in Hades was happening, here?  
  
She nodded, still sobbing. "Please don't let him die, Mr. Kincaid…"  
  
She sank down to the pathway, almost in a faint, as Reuben decided his place was with his star.  
  
Danny was standing over her, now. "What did you do to Keith?" He was angry, no doubt about it.  
  
She couldn't look at him.   
  
He moved off, his tennis sneakers pounding into the Rain Forest.   
  
Carly just continued to sob. Now she wished she really were dead. She'd injured, and possibly killed, the one person in her life that she really, truly loved, besides her parents. Her own life was meaningless, now. How could she have been so careless? She crumpled down to the warm sidewalk, sobbing hysterically.  
  
continued.... 


	12. Chapter 12

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 12  
  
Reuben hated the sight of blood. Even as a kid, whenever he cut a finger or something, he would immediately get nauseous. So one could imagine coming up on the scene he had just walked onto. Not only was he nauseous, but he felt a little faint, too.  
  
Shirley was still holding Keith as he choked in her arms, his hands smearing her milky white skin with the sticky substance.   
  
"Reuben, give me your suitcoat!" Shirley looked up.  
  
"What…? Why?" He felt dizzy.  
  
"I need something to press into the wound! He's going to bleed to death, Reuben! Now!" She cried.  
  
He peeled it off and she grabbed it, wadding it up and stuffing it down onto Keith's side. She leaned hard on it, her one hand wearily wiping at her forehead and leaving a red mark on it.  
  
They heard a scream and they looked to see Danny barreling toward them. "Keith!" he wailed.  
  
Reuben read the look in Shirley's eyes and met him halfway before he reached the awful sight.   
  
"Go on outside, Danny!" he gripped the boy's shoulder.  
  
"I want to see Keith!"  
  
"He's all right. Now go on, outside!"  
  
"She killed him, didn't she?!" Danny yelled. "I knew she was no good! I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen!" He tried to push past the burley manager, but Reuben held his ground.  
  
"No one's been killed, now go!"  
  
"I hate her!" Danny began to sob, now. "I hate her, I hate her!"  
  
"Danny, come here!" Shirley called to him.  
  
Surprised, Reuben let him run past.  
  
"Hold his hand, Danny, and talk to him. Tell him that you love him."   
  
Reuben swallowed. He could see in Shirley's eyes that she'd given up on Keith. He was going to die, right then and there, before their very eyes!  
  
Danny dropped down beside his brother, ignoring the blood as it seeped into the knees of his jeans. "Keith…don't die, please don't die…I love you…" His young voice crackled as he clutched Keith's hand in his own two.  
  
Keith coughed hard again and Shirley brought his head up, lying it on her shoulder. Where was the stupid ambulance?!  
  
Again, Reuben read her thoughts. "I'll see if the ambulance is here." He dashed off.  
  
Danny looked up, mortified to see his mother so pale and crying as she kissed Keith's temple, stroking his hair. "He's gonna die, isn't he, Mom?"  
  
She shook her head vigorously. "No. No, Danny, he's not going to die. We won't let that happen."  
  
She looked up to see two men hurrying in with a stretcher. She didn't remember much after that.  
  
  
  
The once peaceful zoo was now chaotic as the paramedics brought Keith out of the Rain Forest on the stretcher, with Reuben, Shirley and Danny following close behind, bringing with them remnants of the horrible scene inside on their clothing, faces, and hands.  
  
The frightening part was that Carly was nowhere to be seen, and it was a good thing, Danny thought, because he could have easily retaliated in Keith's behalf. He knew his mother and Reuben would have tried to stop him, but just thinking about what he would have done to her eased his mind a little.  
  
Reuben was talking to the ambulance driver. "What hospital are you going to?"  
  
"Belmont Hospital, about 30 miles northwest of here, in San Carlos."  
  
Reuben glanced over at Shirley, who, still a little dazed, was being tended to by Danny. "He's going to be okay, isn't he?"  
  
The paramedic smiled gently. "We'll do everything in our power to assure that, sir."  
  
Reuben frowned, moving closer to the man. "No, I want the truth. Tell me, for their sake."  
  
The driver glanced over his shoulder. "He's lost a lot of blood and his breathing is very shallow. It's very possible that he could die before we get to the hospital."  
  
Closing his eyes, Reuben nodded, pulling back as the men got in the ambulance, one jumping in the back with Keith.  
  
With an eerie whine, the ambulance pulled away, scattering the observers in its path, and Reuben joined Shirley and Danny.  
  
"Come on, let's go get cleaned up so we can go to the hospital. Where's Laurie? We need to find a sitter for Chris and Tracy."  
  
Shirley looked up at him. "Is Keith going to make it, Reuben? What did the paramedic say?"  
  
Reuben took her arm. She was covered from head to toe in dried blood and looked as if she had been in the fracas, too. Her expression told him that she couldn't take the truth; not now. "He said…he said they would do their best." He didn't know how else to put it.  
  
Shirley nodded as Danny and Reuben guided her toward the dressing rooms.  
  
=====  
  
Laurie and Carly were in the women's trailer when Shirley entered. Carly's arms were wrapped in towels that Laurie had provided, and both girls jumped to their feet.  
  
"Mom?" Laurie blurted.  
  
"He's on his way to the hospital…" Still pretty much in shock, Shirley moved to the small bathroom. Seeing herself in the mirror, she stared at her reflection.  
  
"Is he going to be all right?"  
  
Shirley just shook her head. "I don't know…he wasn't doing well when they came for him…"  
  
Carly cried out and Shirley turned to her. "Oh, Carly, you should have had the paramedics look at you…you're still bleeding."  
  
The girl shook her head emphatically. "This is nothing. Not compared to what Keith is going through…oh, Mrs. Partridge, I'm scared! It was an accident…I didn't mean for him to get hurt…"  
  
Shirley nodded, still dazed. "I know." She turned back to the sink and began to clean up.  
  
"I'll get you a change of clothes, Mom," Laurie opened Shirley's bag as there was a knock on the door.  
  
Laurie quickly moved to answer it. There were two policemen there and she swallowed, looking back at Carly, who she knew was panicking in the room behind her.  
  
"Carly Stratton," the taller cop said.  
  
Laurie shook her head. "We…don't want to press charges."  
  
"We're not here to arrest her, we just want to question her."  
  
"It was an accident," Laurie hissed, wanting to shut the door in their faces.  
  
"It's okay, Laurie," Carly stepped forward. "I'll talk to them."  
  
"You have rights, Carly," Laurie whispered. "Don't let them intimidate you."  
  
"I know, thanks, Laurie." She stepped down onto the wooden staircase.  
  
The cop looked at her arms. "Do you need medical attention, miss?"  
  
"No." She looked back at Laurie, who wept there in the doorway. "When you go to the hospital, tell Keith I'm sorry." She almost added, 'If it's not too late,' but couldn't bring herself to say it.  
  
Laurie swallowed, nodding as the policemen led her away.  
  
continued... 


	13. Chapter 13

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 13  
  
Danny loathed hospitals. They were too clean, too sterile, for a rambunctious eleven-year-old such as himself. And quiet. Doctors and nurses and patients, all whispering among themselves, like they were keeping secrets from the rest of the world.   
  
Bored, he began to wander the halls, looking for what, he didn't know. Just some action, for heaven's sake. Like a doctor cutting someone's cast off their arm or leg, anything to shake the doldrums.  
  
Mom, Laurie and Reuben had been gone an awfully long time…they were told that Keith was upstairs in the Critical Care Unit: the CCU. To Danny, it sounded like a rock band, but what did he know? He was only a kid, and kids weren't allowed on the upper floors, only by special permission from the Hospital Administrator, whoever THAT was.  
  
Tired, frightened and alone, Danny leaned back on one of the white walls not far from the emergency waiting room and began to cry.   
  
Keith had looked dead when he last saw him. He was pale and unconscious; lifeless. He probably WAS dead; why else would they be taking so long to come tell him? They were probably trying to figure out what to say. 'Danny, Keith died before they got him here.' 'Danny, honey, we have some bad news…your brother didn't make it.'  
  
His back against the wall, Danny sank to the shiny linoleum floor, sobbing his red-headed heart out.   
  
"Danny!"  
  
Hearing his name, Danny looked up. Laurie was hurrying toward him, her long hair flying behind her.  
  
He clambered to his feet, bracing himself for the bad news.  
  
"I've been looking everywhere for you! You should have stayed in the waiting room!"  
  
Danny got right to the point. "Is he dead, Laurie?"  
  
She blinked, reacting. "No, honey. He's okay. Well, he's still in very serious condition, but they're sure he'll pull through."  
  
It was as if an anvil had been lifted from his shoulders. He started sobbing again, going forward into her arms. She held him, rubbing his back and fighting the tears herself.   
  
"Want to come see him?"  
  
Danny looked up. "They won't let me."  
  
She pulled a laminated card from her pocket. "Dr. Lowrey said for you to wear this. It's…like a backstage pass."  
  
He eagerly took it from her, and she helped pin it on his shirt. Then she took his hand and led him back down the hall.  
  
  
  
  
Shirley stood in the hallway in front of Keith's room. The wall facing the hall was glass paneled, so she could see Danny and Laurie at Keith's beside. Still unconscious, Keith wouldn't be aware of their presence, but somehow, it made things better for all of them. A nurse sat just inside the door at a small desk, keeping her eye on her patient and his visitors.  
  
Reuben stepped up beside her. "I just got off the phone with the police. They're holding Carly in custody until her parents get there, which should be sometime in the morning."  
  
Shirley looked up at him. "She needs help, Reuben. The poor girl's tried to kill herself twice, and this time she almost took Keith with her."  
  
He nodded. "They're giving her a psychiatric evaluation and then they'll talk it over with her folks as to what will be best for her. I told them we weren't pressing charges, but the officer said that the D.A.'s office still might, depending on the outcome of the evaluation. And, if by some remote chance that Keith doesn't make it, they will for sure."  
  
Shirley felt sick. "Oh, how awful. I'd hate to see the poor child end up behind bars. It would kill her for sure."  
  
"Well, the worst they could do, probably, is put her in Juvenile Detention until she's eighteen, but, like I said, she still has to be evaluated."  
  
Laurie was in the doorway. "Mom, Keith's awake, and he's calling for you!" Her face was bright with the good news.  
  
Shirley hurried past her and even Danny moved so that his mother could get closer.  
  
"Keith!" She grabbed his hand.  
  
"Mom…" he said weakly, his voice raspy.  
  
"Oh, honey, thank God you're all right…how do you feel, sweetheart?" Shirley's eyes brimmed with tears and happiness.  
  
"Mom, where's Carly?"  
  
"She's okay, honey. She's with the police until her parents come tomorrow."  
  
He winced. "She didn't mean to hurt me, Mom."  
  
"I know, honey…it was an accident, we know that…"  
  
Laurie stepped forward. "She told me to tell you she's sorry, Keith."  
  
He swallowed, taking in her words. It was getting hard to talk; the fire in his side was rekindling.  
  
"I couldn't let her kill herself…she just lost it…I got in the way."  
  
Tears seeped from his eyes, sliding down toward the pillow as Shirley petted his head, softly hushing him.  
  
"It's okay, baby…you're okay…Carly's okay, too…just rest."  
  
His eyes flashed with pain. "It hurts, Mom…"  
  
"I know…" she looked over at the nurse, who stood there, ready with a shot. "The nurse is giving you something for it, honey. Hang on."  
  
Smiling, she let the nurse by with the needle and she gave him the shot as Danny winced, closing at least one eye.  
  
As the nurse went back to her desk, she told Shirley softly, "That will help him sleep, too. Don't want him moving too much or getting too agitated. He could pull the stitches out."  
  
Shirley nodded, looking back down at her son. "Honey, we're going to go and let you sleep, all right?"  
  
His head rolled on the pillow. "I have to see Carly."  
  
"Keith, I told you, she's with the police."  
  
"She has to know I'm not mad at her. I forgive her." He swallowed hard and dry. "Tell her for me, okay?"  
  
"We will. Close your eyes, sweetheart, and get some rest. We'll be back later." Shirley said gently, bending to kiss his cheek.  
  
He nodded, the effects of the shot starting to show. As he drifted off, Reuben and the Partridges quietly left the room.  
  
continued...  



	14. Chapter 14

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 14  
  
Shirley really didn't feel up to meeting anyone new. She was a physical and emotional wreck, what with Keith nearly losing his life over a distraught fan, and whose parents she was here to meet.   
  
She and Reuben had gone back to the hospital last night to check on Keith and both had come out somewhat emotionally drained. His blood pressure had dropped dramatically for some unexplained reason and the doctors and nurses had worked feverishly to resolve the situation. Shirley had donated a pint of blood to him herself, which was another reason she looked so tired.  
  
Now, she and Reuben were here at the police station; waiting for Carly's parents to arrive. After a quick meeting, they would be reunited with Carly herself, whom, they'd been told, had been under a suicide watch. It was just another distraction, keeping her from Keith's side, where she felt she should be until his condition improved.  
  
They were escorted to a small, but comfortable room and told that Carly's parents were on their way from San Pueblo and would be there shortly.  
  
Exhausted, Shirley fell into one of the chairs at the huge mahogany table, while Reuben took advantage of the coffee brewing in a coffee maker on the counter behind them.  
  
He poured them both a cup and slid Shirley's to her as he sat down beside her.   
  
"Thank, you, Reuben. You read my mind."  
  
"I've been thinking about these people. Suppose they're as flighty as their daughter?" Reuben muttered, sipping his brew.  
  
Shirley smiled tiredly. "We will soon find out. Poor Carly. I wonder how her night was, all locked up like that."  
  
Reuben grunted. "It couldn't have been worse than Keith's night."  
  
At that, Shirley nodded, running her finger along the rim of the cup. "We could have lost him, Reuben." She looked at the manager, the worry and fear so evident on her face.  
  
He reached over, squeezing her hand. "But we didn't, that's the main thing."  
  
She shook her head. "The thing that amazes me the most is Keith's concern for Carly. Yes, she's a sweet girl, but, Reuben, she could have killed him! Yet, he's worried about her. A six-inch deep wound in his stomach, and he's wondering about her well being."  
  
Reuben smiled. "He's good kid, Shirley."  
  
"You're right; he is." She pulled a face, closing her eyes. "And he's still not out of this. Dr. Lowrey told me he's still in danger. Oh, Reuben, what if he doesn't pull through after all?"  
  
Reuben gently rubbed her shoulder. "He will. He's strong, and he's got a lot to live for. To be able to pester Danny would be reason enough to give him a will to live."  
  
She had to laugh at that, as behind them, the door opened. A policeman led a man and woman into the room.  
  
"Mrs. Partridge, Mr. Kincaid, this is Jim and Lydia Stratton, Carly's parents," he announced, then left as quickly as he'd come.  
  
Jim Stratton was fairly handsome, rugged, tall and lanky, and Lydia was somewhat shorter, but a pretty woman. They both looked as weary as Shirley and Reuben.  
  
Reuben extended his hand to Mr. Stratton. "I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances."  
  
Mr. Stratton remained serious. "We've been goin' crazy wondering what happened to Carly."  
  
Shirley nodded. "We could well imagine…we tried to get her to at least phone you, but she wouldn't even give us her last name, and…"  
  
"We should have known she was out here. Her room's a practical shrine to your son, Mrs. Partridge. She worships the ground he walks on. Can't see it myself, but that's the way she is about him," Mrs. Stratton cut her off, shaking her head.  
  
Shirley tried not to take offense at that. "We…found that out the hard way."  
  
"She wouldn't have done what she did if your son hadn't lured her out here," Mr. Stratton snapped.  
  
"Lured her…? Exactly what do you mean?" Now Shirley began to bristle.  
  
"Well, it's all those magazine articles he does and the pictures…practically advertising for a girl friend!" Mrs. Stratton said, sitting across from her at the table. "My daughter is very impressionable. She fell for it hook, line and sinker."  
  
"Keith had nothing to do with those articles, nor has he been 'advertising' anything! He's just a normal, eighteen-year-old boy, who just happens to be in the spotlight because we sing for a living! It is not his fault that Carly took the magazine stories seriously. We have no control over what is written about Keith or any other member of our family. We cannot police every little word. The magazines know what sells and it just happens to be my son at the moment." Shirley frowned.  
  
Mrs. Stratton smiled, speaking softly. "Well then, don't you think you should do everything in your power to make sure that what's written or said about your family is accurate, then? There are thousands of Carly's out there, Mrs. Partridge. Young girls who think that your son is Mr. Right, and who expect a lot more from him than just an autographed photo and a smile from the stage. The price of fame, so to speak, am I right?"  
  
Her words hit Shirley square in the face. She was right! The magazines had built Keith into a god that little girls all over the world worshipped. Carly just happened to act out her homage. Still, there was no way she was going to let him take the blame for this. Not when it was he who was lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life because of their daughter's misplaced devotion!  
  
"Maybe so, but Carly's adulation could cost my son his life! THAT is the price my family and I will pay!" Shirley choked, tears springing to her eyes.  
  
The Stratton's exchanged glances.  
  
"They told us it was an accident," Mrs. Stratton muttered.  
  
"It was. But it doesn't change the fact that Keith is in the hospital and Carly…Carly needs help, Mrs. Stratton. A young girl who attempts suicide over someone she hardly knows has a problem deeper than you or I could ever imagine," Shirley calmed. "I don't think either of them are to blame for what happened. But you need to do something about it before it's too late."  
  
Mr. Stratton's face softened. "We're thinking of putting her…some place where she can get the help she needs. We've done all we can at home. But she needs more," he said, looking at his wife.  
  
Shirley sighed. "I'm sure that wasn't an easy thing to admit, Mr. Stratton."  
  
Mrs. Stratton brought a handkerchief to her face, fighting tears. "Is your son going to be all right, Mrs. Partridge?"  
  
Shirley's face was serious. "To be honest, we don't know. He was hurt pretty badly, and last night, we nearly lost him."  
  
The door opened and another policeman looked in. "Are you ready to see your daughter, Mr. Stratton? I can get her for you, now."  
  
The Stratton's nodded hesitantly as Shirley and Reuben rose to their feet. "We'll leave you to talk with her alone."  
  
"Oh, no, please stay. We know what you did for her, taking her in, and we'd like to thank you…"  
  
Shirley smiled. "Your coming here and speaking with us is thanks enough. I would like you to meet the rest of my family, though. What hotel are you staying in?"  
  
"The Ramada Inn, just down the street."  
  
"Why don't we get together there, say 10 o'clock tomorrow morning?"  
  
"If it's no trouble."  
  
"Not at all."  
  
Mrs. Stratton smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Partridge. Thank you for all you've done for our little girl."  
  
Shirley nodded, unable to reciprocate the message. She just slipped tiredly out the door with Reuben behind her.  
  
continued... 


	15. Chapter 15

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 15  
  
Laurie stood at the dirty, rain-stained hotel room window, watching the parking lot below for any sign of her Mother and Reuben. She hadn't thought it fair that they would leave her to watch her younger siblings; she wanted to be at the hospital with Keith, especially since that episode last night. The doctor assured them he would call if anything else happened that they needed to know, and Laurie knew that no news was good news, but this was agony!  
  
"Hey, Laurie, let's play Scrabble!" Danny called from one of the two double beds in the room.   
They were in the girls' room; Danny, Reuben and Chris shared another room just across the hall. It wasn't the fanciest of hotels, but it was all that was available at the last minute. And, it was a good twenty minutes from the hospital, which made Laurie despise it even more.  
  
"Laurie!" Danny called again.  
  
"Huh? Oh, no, I don't feel like playing, Danny. You guys go on ahead."  
  
Danny frowned. "But you're the only one who can spell right!"  
  
Laurie smiled. Scrabble was Danny's bane. He hated to play because he really was a poor speller. Monopoly was more his style, but Laurie vowed out loud to him once that she would never, ever play THAT game with him again, so he was stuck with the Scrabble, like it or not.  
  
"Okay, I guess I could, for a little while. I wonder how everyone's doing? Keith, Mom, Reuben, Carly…" she murmured, sitting down by Danny.  
  
"Is Carly gonna go to jail?" Tracy asked, jumping up on the bed to join the game.  
  
"I don't know, honey. She didn't mean to hurt Keith. I think the police will just let her go home with her parents."  
  
"I think she should fry!" Danny sneered, getting the game ready.  
  
Chris laughed. "Like an egg?"  
  
"Danny!" Laurie frowned.  
  
He frowned. "She should."  
  
The phone rang, and Laurie shook her head, getting up to answer it. "Hello? She isn't here right now. Can I take a message?" There was a pause, then, Laurie's face went white and she sat slowly back down onto the bed. "Oh, no…you're kidding…yes, yes, I'll tell her…thank you."  
  
She was barely able to hang up. "Dear god…" she said softly.  
  
Danny frowned, looking up. "What's the matter?"  
  
She looked over at the three little faces peering back at her. "Nothing." She stood up, grabbing a sweater and heading for the door. "Danny, watch the kids. I have to go downstairs."  
  
"What's the matter?" Danny cried. Something was wrong, and he wasn't about to let her get away without telling him.  
  
She just yanked the door open and stumbled into the hall as Danny ran after her, some of the Scrabble tiles in his hand. "Laurie, wait! Tell me! Who was that?"  
  
The look on her face as she turned around told him he didn't want to know. "It was the hospital," she blurted. "Keith's taken a turn for the worse."  
  
He stopped in the middle of the hall, his freckled face as pale as hers. "Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm going to see if someone will take me over there. If not, I'll take a taxi. If Mom and Reuben come back, tell them, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
He didn't know if she even heard him. She was running for the elevator and he turned, looking down at the tiles he still clutched in his hand. He swallowed. They were a little mixed up, but they spelled out BRTHR.   
  
  
  
Laurie was crying as she stepped onto Keith's floor. She went to the desk where a nurse sat in front of the big double doors that led into the CCU.  
  
"Please, I have to see my brother…you just called. I'm Laurie Partridge…" Her voice was pleading.  
  
"Oh, yes. I believe they're taking him into surgery."  
  
"Surgery!" Laurie cried. "Why?"  
  
"I'm sorry, honey, you'll need to talk to Dr. Lowery. Let me see if he's left the room yet, okay?"  
  
Laurie gripped the counter's edge with her fingers, trying to remain calm. This wasn't happening…not again. Last night after the blood pressure incident, the doctor told Mom and Reuben they thought they'd fixed the problem, but obviously they'd missed something. Damnit, where was that nurse?  
  
She was just about to get hysterical, when the nurse returned. "You can go in. He's waiting for the right blood type to be brought in from the bank. They used all they had last night for him."  
  
Laurie didn't even hear the last two sentences; she rounded the desk and blasted through the doors, running for Keith's room.  
  
He lay in the bed, eyes closed, and whiter than the sheets beneath him. It was an eerie sight. The nurse in the corner desk rose quietly and slipped out when Laurie entered.  
  
"Keith…" she was breathless, not knowing if he could hear her or not.  
  
His eyes opened slowly and she felt a pain in the pit of her stomach. They were so distant, so cold…  
  
"Honey, I'm here…"  
  
He went to say something, but she shushed him, putting her hand on his chest. She pulled up a chair next to the bed.   
  
"Don't talk. Just blink. Can you do that? Once for yes, twice for no?"  
  
He blinked.  
  
"What's going on, here? They tell me you're giving them some trouble again. Are you in pain, honey?"  
  
He blinked twice.  
  
"Are you sure? Maybe just a little?" Laurie put her face down close to his.  
  
Blink.  
  
She smiled softly, caressing his cheek. "Thought so. You're going to be okay…Mom and Reuben are on the way, so when you come back from surgery, we'll all be here. You're not scared, are you?"  
  
Blink.  
  
She sniffed, swiping at her nose. "Don't be, okay? You'll be just fine. I know you will."  
  
He swallowed, closing his eyes, and she leaned in, putting her head next to his on the pillow, her hand still stroking his face. Her shoulders began to shake as she wept. She stayed with him for a good twenty minutes.  
  
"Laurie!"  
  
She lifted her head to see Shirley and Reuben there. Glancing down at Keith, she saw he was sleeping and she got up, going into her mother's arms.  
  
"Oh, Mom…they called and said he'd gotten worse…I didn't know how to get hold of you, so I came…I didn't want him going through it alone."  
  
Shirley rubbed her back. "I know, baby, I know…you did the right thing. Is he asleep?"  
  
Laurie pulled back, staring at her brother. "He wasn't when I came in, but he is now…I'm scared…they won't tell me why he's having surgery."  
  
"Dr. Lowrey said that they have to repair a nick in his intestine. The point of the knife put a tiny pin point hole in his stomach wall, and it keeps hemorrhaging. That's why he's losing blood pressure." Shirley smoothed Laurie's hair from out of her face.  
  
Her hand to her face, Laurie sobbed. "He could die, still, couldn't he?"  
  
Swallowing hard, Shirley's eyes shone. "He could, but he won't. He's got too many prayers on his side." She gave her daughter another quick hug, then moved to her son's side.  
  
Pulling up the chair, she leaned in close to him much like Laurie had before her. Petting his head and taking his hand, she talked softly to him. "Honey, it's Mom…I don't know if you can hear me or not, Keith, but I want you to know I love you so much. You're going to get through this just fine, and we're all here to help you…Laurie, Danny, Chris, Tracy, Reuben, Carly…we're all cheering for you, baby, so you've got to do your part and pull through this surgery so we can have you back with us, okay? We need you, Keith. We need your smile and your laughter, and your songs…" She paused as her tears fell from her cheek onto his. "I love you, honey. Please, Keith, you need to come through this for us…you can do it."  
  
She kissed his cheek and stood up, feeling Laurie's hand on her shoulder.  
  
"He'll be okay, won't he, Mom?"  
  
Nodding, Shirley nearly collapsed in her daughter's arms.  
  
continued... 


	16. Chapter 16

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 16  
  
It wasn't surprising to Laurie and Reuben that Shirley was asleep. What with the confusion and horror of the past two days, she'd neglected herself beyond reason; a mother to the end. So now, in the waiting room, they let her sleep. A nurse had been kind enough to provide a blanket and a pillow for her and they set up a makeshift bed in the farthest corner of the room by putting two chairs together. It didn't look very comfortable, but obviously she hadn't noticed, because she was asleep within the half hour.  
  
Laurie stretched, glancing at her watch. Keith had been in surgery for four hours. The doctor had told them that, barring complications, he would be out in two and a half; three at the most. She was beginning to fear the worst, but didn't express it out loud to Reuben, who was nodding off in a nearby chair himself.  
  
She stood up, stretching even bigger and walked off the stiffness she'd acquired. Spotting a drinking fountain down the hall, she went to it, pulling her long hair aside and bending to get some water. Behind her, she heard the automatic doors of the emergency room open and she didn't pay much attention until she heard her name.  
  
Startled, she straightened, wiping her mouth. Carly was hurrying toward her and Laurie met her halfway. They embraced, both girls crying openly.  
  
"Mr. Kincaid left a message at the hotel…oh, Laurie, is Keith all right?"  
  
"We haven't heard; he's been in the operating room for four hours, now. How are you? Did your parents…?" Laurie flinched when she saw the bandages on Carly's arm; another remembrance of yesterday's mayhem.  
  
Carly indicated the man and woman just now entering the room. She grabbed Laurie's hand, pulling her toward them. "Mom, Daddy, this is Laurie, Keith's sister. Laurie, my parents, Jim and Lydia Stratton."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Laurie and the Stratton's exchanged handshakes.  
  
"You, too. You're even prettier than the pictures I've seen up on Carly's wall," Mrs. Stratton said.  
  
Laurie smiled wearily. "Thank you. My mom and Mr. Kincaid are in the waiting room, but they're both pretty out of it right now. We could find another waiting area to talk in, but the doctor might come with some news on Keith."  
  
"We understand. We just dropped by to see how he was doing, but I think we'd best go back to the hotel and get some sleep." Mr. Stratton looked tired, too.  
  
Carly swallowed. "Oh, can't I stay until he at least comes out of surgery?" She looked pleadingly up at her father.  
  
"Carly Sue, you know what that judge said. You are supposed to be with us at all times. They left you in our custody, remember?"  
  
Laurie came to Carly's rescue. "I'll take full responsibility for her, Mr. Stratton. It won't be long, now, and we can drop her off at the hotel. I really think she needs to see Keith, and vice versa."  
  
The Stratton's both hesitated, and Carly looked from one to the other in hopes they would agree with Laurie.  
  
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt any. But not all night. If it's longer than an hour, I want you back at that hotel, you hear me?" Mr. Stratton said firmly.  
  
Carly smiled, wrapping her arms around his gangly neck. "Thank you, Daddy."  
  
  
  
Carly and Laurie sat in a corner of the waiting room farthest away from Reuben and Shirley so that they could talk without disturbing either of them.  
  
"So, how did it go with the police? Weren't you simply terrified to be all alone like that?" Laurie asked.  
  
"It wasn't the being alone…it was the worry. About Keith, about what your family was thinking of me for what I did…I was scared to sleep because I knew I would have nightmares about it. I'd convinced myself that Keith had died, and being responsible for it, I just knew I would go to prison. Oh, Laurie, it was horrible! That was the longest night I'd ever spent!" Carly was weeping, and rightly so.  
  
Laurie reached over, clasping Carly's hand. "But now things are looking up…they let you go with your parents."  
  
Carly nodded. "Yes, I'm supposed to talk to a state appointed psychiatrist, and then they will decide what to do. They said your mom refused to press charges on me, and for that I'm so grateful. It was an accident, Laurie, it really was! I didn't mean to hurt him; I love him!"  
  
Now Laurie pulled her close, rocking her as if she were her little girl. "We know, Carly…that's why we decided not to press charges. Besides, Keith would have been FURIOUS had we even thought about it!"  
  
Carly pulled back, wiping at her eyes. "Really?"  
  
Laurie smiled, grabbing a tissue from the box and handing it to her. "You can bet on it. The first thing he said when he woke up yesterday was, 'How's Carly?'"  
  
That cheered her. "He did?"  
  
"He also told us to tell you that he forgives you." Laurie said, tears in her own eyes, now.  
  
Carly looked ceilingward. "I don't deserve his forgiveness…"  
  
"Of course you do! You said yourself it was an accident. But, honey, why would you want to kill yourself? Over Keith, especially…he was so confused. He couldn't figure out why you would do it."  
  
"I know…but I couldn't tell him…I'm not sure I know myself. Maybe the doctors can help me deal with this, Laurie…I'm so lost…" She began to weep into her hands as Laurie did her best to comfort her.  
  
  
  
In the recovery room, Keith awoke, alone, frightened and in pain. The room was small and the glaring white walls weren't much comfort. He was lying on his left side on the gurney, unable to so much as move without severe discomfort. He saw someone in white stop in front of him and felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Oh, good, you're awake…still groggy, though, I'll bet. Do you feel nauseous? The anesthesia will sometimes make you sick." It was a soft, female voice.  
  
Keith nodded, and soon a metal bowl was near his face. It was as if she knew. He filled it rather quickly, moaning because of the burning in his middle.  
  
She bent down, wiping his face with a moist cloth. She was pretty, maybe two, three years older than he…how embarrassing, he thought. Tossing your cookies in front of a total stranger…  
  
She put some ice chips in his mouth and he sucked on them almost hungrily as she put a cool hand on his forehead. He tried to remain focused on her face, but he saw her frown and move off.  
  
Soon there was a thermometer in his mouth. He tried to ignore the pain in his belly, but it was ferocious. He didn't want to cry out, but he did, his face contorted, and in the process, he nearly lost the small glass tube.  
  
"Hang in there, sweetie. I'll have the head nurse get hold of Dr. Lowrey." She said.  
  
He couldn't move, couldn't talk, but her leaving terrified him. 'Don't leave me…I need you!' He choked, nearly vomiting again.  
  
Closing his eyes, he could feel the pain searing his right side and he put his hand up onto it. Feeling a bandage there, he swallowed. Something was definitely not right here…the surgery was supposed to stop the pain, wasn't it?  
  
Behind him, where he was unable to see, he heard anxious voices; those of two women and a man. He could only hear snippets of their conversation, but he knew it was about him.  
  
"High fever…nausea…" a woman was saying.  
  
The man interrupted. "Is he having pain?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Let me check him."  
  
Soon, a man was standing near him. "Keith, it's Dr. Lowrey. Does your side hurt?"  
  
"Yeah…" Keith whispered, his hand shaking as he wiped at his eyes.   
  
"We're going to put you on your back. It might be painful, but we'll try not to hurt you. Hang on to my forearm. Ready? Here we go."  
  
Keith clenched his teeth as they carefully rolled him over and he gripped the doctor's arm for all it was worth. The pain worsened and he cried out, lifting his head.  
  
The doctor was looking beneath the bandage, then he glanced up at the nurse. "Get a blood culture." He looked down at his patient. "I think you've got some infection. I'm going to treat it with some antibiotics before it gets any worse."  
  
Keith pushed his head back into the pillow under his head. "Is that why it's hurting so bad?" he puffed.  
  
Dr. Lowrey nodded. "We may have to go back in, Keith, I'm sorry."  
  
Keith closed his eyes, feeling the doctor's hand on his arm.   
  
"Chances are it will clear up with the drugs, but if not, you're looking at more surgery. We'll do everything we can to avoid that, though, so rest easy, and concentrate on getting well. And we'll take care of the pain for you, too."  
  
Nodding, Keith stared blearily up at the ceiling. The nurse's face came into his line of sight, and she smiled.  
  
"You ready to go back into your room? Your family's anxious to see you."  
  
"Sure," he smiled through the pain. It was wasn't easy to flirt in this condition, but, hey, he had to try…  
  
"Okay, put him on 10 milligrams of morphine and 100 milligrams of ampicillin. Keith, I'll go tell your family you're out of surgery," Dr. Lowrey smiled down at him.  
  
"Thanks," Keith breathed. Dear God, the pain was almost unbearable! He tried to concentrate on the nurse's pretty features as she set up the I.V.  
  
continued... 


	17. Chapter 17

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 17  
  
Dr. Lowrey wasn't in the hallway two seconds before he was surrounded by Keith's family and friends. Motioning them back over to the chairs, he pulled one up, facing them.  
  
"Keith is finally out of surgery. We had some minor complications, but we're past the danger point concerning his blood pressure. However," he raised a hand. "There's another thing we have to overcome. He's developed an infection and right now he is one miserable young man. He's just coming out from under the anesthetic and he's in some pain. We're taking care of that with some morphine and fighting off the infection with an antibiotic."  
  
Shirley was worried all over again. "What if it doesn't clear up?"  
  
"Then, I'm afraid we're looking at a whole new ball game. We will have to re-operate, but I'm putting my money on the ampicillin. It's strong, Keith's strong, and you will have to be, too." He smiled as brightly as he could, having spent the last five hours in surgery. "Now, all that said and done, you may all go up and see him, but only two at a time. Don't want to overwhelm him." He glanced at his watch. "He should be back in his bed right about now."  
  
"Thank you, Doctor," Shirley and the others stood with him.  
  
He squeezed her shoulder gently and moved off as she, Reuben, Laurie and Carly looked at one another.  
  
"Well?" Reuben shrugged. "Let's go."  
  
"I think Carly and Laurie should go in first."  
  
Carly looked almost terrified. "Oh, Mrs. Partridge, I couldn't. You're his mother. You should…"  
  
Shirley put her arm around her as they walked toward the elevator. "He's been asking and asking about you. I think it's time you saw one another face to face again."  
  
Carly turned to Laurie, almost apprehensively. "I don't know…if I can! I mean, after what happened…"  
  
Laurie nodded. "You both need closure, Carly. He will see that you're all right, and you will see..."  
  
"What I did to him," Carly said softly, stepping into the elevator with them. The doors slid together, and she was oh-so-close to diving back through them as they did.  
  
  
  
Through the glass panel, Laurie saw Keith in the bed on his left side, sleeping, she assumed. She reached behind her for Carly's hand, but all she got was air. She turned to find the girl pressed back up against the wall in the hallway, shaking her head. There was a look of pure terror in her eyes.  
  
"Come on!" Laurie waved.  
  
"No…I can't…I don't feel very well…I think I need to throw up." Carly whispered.  
  
Laurie put her hand on her hip. "No, you don't. You're just fine. Now, come ON!" She reached over, taking Carly's wrist and pulling her forward.  
  
They got to the door before Carly stopped again, shaking Laurie off. "I can't do this, Laurie. You're his sister; you go in. Tell him I love him, okay? I'll just wait out here."  
  
Laurie shook her head. "No. He's not going to bite, for Pete's sake! Look, he's sleeping, anyway."  
  
Bravely, Carly moved to the window. Peering in, she stared at the motionless figure there in the bed. The sheet was just up to his waistline, and he was bare above that, except for the white bandage that covered his middle like a cummerbund. He looked so peaceful. He also wouldn't even be there if it hadn't been for her. She looked over at Laurie, who was watching her brother sleep, too, probably wondering if he was going to be all right. What had she done?! Carly felt sick and she turned away.  
  
"Let's go in," Laurie motioned her toward the door.  
  
"I can't." Carly shook her head.  
  
"Yes, you can. You have to." Laurie frowned at her, now.  
  
Carly sagged. "I know. But why disturb him? He looks so peaceful."  
  
Without another word, Laurie grabbed Carly's arm and yanked open the door, pulling her into the room.  
  
It smelled so sterile inside. The odor of the anesthetic drifted into her nostrils and didn't do her stomach much good. She stood by the bed, staring at him.   
  
He was indeed sleeping, and pale, very pale. She saw the I.V. tube in the top of his left hand and she followed it with her eyes up to the bottle on the stand on the left side of the bed.   
  
Laurie had pulled two chairs up to the bedside and took Carly by the shoulders, sitting her in one of them.   
  
"We'll just sit here for a while; and maybe he'll wake up."  
  
"I'm supposed to go back to the hotel in an hour," Carly whispered.   
  
"Reuben said he'd call your folks." Laurie told her. She reached over, smoothing the side of Keith's head and moving the hair away from his face.   
  
"Are you trying to wake him up?" Carly asked, terrified.  
  
Laurie smiled gently. "No, I just wanted to see his face. He looks so pale," she murmured. "He's warm. He must be running a temperature."  
  
'Infections tend to do that,' Carly thought. Her stomach was doing flip-flops, now, and she looked longingly at the bathroom door.  
  
Keith moaned softly from the bed and Carly anxiously sat forward in her chair. He was waking up! That bathroom was looking better and better…  
  
Laurie leaned closer to him, her fingers wriggling through his hair. "Keith?"  
  
"Shhh!" Carly was panicking. "Let him sleep!"  
  
Laurie ignored her and continued to pet his head. "Come on, honey, wake up…"  
  
In agony, now, Carly got to her feet. There was no way she was going to be here when he opened those beautiful brown eyes. She edged toward the bathroom, stopping only when she heard Laurie speak again.  
  
"Hi, sweetie. How you feel?"  
  
Carly forced herself to look. He was awake and blinking at Laurie, unaware, she hoped, of her own presence. She waited for his response.  
  
"Tired." His voice was barely above a whisper and Carly found herself drifting toward the bed, just trying to hear.  
  
"I brought you a surprise," Laurie smiled, glancing her way.   
  
Her eyes wide, Carly shook her head. She put her hand over her mouth, pointing to the bathroom door.  
  
"Yeah? What?" He asked, trying to be more alert.  
  
Laurie stood up, pulling Carly into Keith's line of vision. She froze, gaping down at him.  
  
Then, he smiled. "Carly," he said, awkwardly reaching up to her.  
  
She sank down into Laurie's chair, taking his hand with the I.V. in it ever-so-gently.  
  
"Hi, Keith." It was all she could get out before the tears started.  
  
"Are you okay? I've been worried about you," he said softly, his face serious.  
  
Worried about HER? He was lying in a hospital bed, thanks to her, fighting for his life, having just come from surgery and possibly facing another one, and he was worried about HER?  
  
"I'm fine. Oh, Keith, I'm so sorry…"  
  
"I know."  
  
She stared at him, still clutching his hand.   
  
"I guess you'll be going home, soon."  
  
She nodded. "Tomorrow night." She didn't want to tell him about the psychiatrist. Knowing him, it would just add to his worry.  
  
"Laurie," he said, tiredly moving his other hand.  
She stepped up. "What?"  
  
"Could you give us a minute, here? I want to talk to Carly alone."  
  
"Sure." Laurie smiled, her hand on Carly's shoulder, then she left, the door sweeping closed behind her.  
  
Keith had Carly's hand between both of his, now, his eyes boring into her. At first, she thought he was angry, and she wanted to bolt, but something told her to just stay put.  
  
"Carly, I know what you did was an accident, and I forgive you. But if I hadn't gotten in the way, you would have hurt yourself worse than what you did. I don't ever want to hear about you doing such a crazy thing ever again, okay? You can call me; day or night, and we'll talk. Just don't ever, ever do something like that to yourself again. Please!"  
  
She nodded, putting her hand on both of his. "I promise, Keith."  
  
He smiled gently, showing a dimple. "Good. I'll check up on you; I have my ways." The smile slowly faded, replaced by a sad expression. "I'm gonna miss you, Carly."  
  
"I'll miss you, too, Keith." She whispered it. It hurt to even think about it.  
  
"I love you…I know I never said it, and I should have, because it's true. It probably would have saved us both a lot of trouble." He was getting tired, again; she could see it on his face.  
  
She reached over, her fingers sweeping under his chin. "I love you, too," she swallowed. She just had to savor this moment.  
  
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently, then he pulled her forward for an awkward hug among the tubes and wires.   
  
Oh, how she wanted to just hold him forever!  
  
As she let him go, all too soon, he winced, his hand on the bandage.  
  
"Are you all right?" She said worriedly.  
  
"Yeah…I just found out the hard way I can't reach up so high." He smiled. "Will you come see me before you go?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"You'd better." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry…I'm just so tired."  
  
She stroked his head. "It's okay…go back to sleep…goodnight, sweet Partridge," she whispered.  
  
She waited until he was out again, then she stood up, slipping quietly out of the room.  
  
continued...  



	18. Chapter 18

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 18  
  
The phone rang in Reuben, Chris and Danny's room at 10:38 p.m. Reuben knew the exact time, because he had to push his sleep mask out of his eyes to see the clock. His first thought was that something was wrong with Keith and he flipped on the light between the two beds. He saw the boys in the other bed sit up, equally disturbed. He grabbed the receiver.  
  
"Hello?"   
  
"Mr. Kincaid, this is Jim Stratton, Carly's dad."  
  
Running his fingers through his messy hair, Reuben breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, yeah…what can I do for you, Mr. Stratton?"  
  
"Sorry for bothering you at such a late hour, but I need your advice. Ever since this whole mess with Keith getting hurt, and Carly's attempted suicides, we've had these darned reporters following us around…they won't let us alone. They've got Carly and her mom so upset, they're afraid to leave the hotel room. Being as you're the group's manager, and have no doubt dealt with these people before, I thought maybe you could tell me what to do."  
  
Reuben sighed. Boy, did he know, but it wasn't fit for man nor boy to hear. "Tell you what, Mr. Stratton, I will call another press conference in your behalf, how's that? You and your wife can attend, if you'd like, but I would leave Carly out of this. I learned the hard way that it's no place for kids."  
  
"Oh, that'd be great, thank you. We leave tomorrow night at seven, so any time before then."  
  
"We can hold it while Carly's at the hospital saying goodbye to Keith, how's that? That would take the pressure off the kids and would make a great decoy besides. Wouldn't want their parting words on the front pages, would we?"  
  
"Perfect. Thanks again, Mr. Kincaid. What do you suggest I tell them in the meantime? There's a couple fellows down in the hotel lobby right now, doing their best to get up here."  
"Just tell them you have no comment at the moment, but that there will be a press conference at five o'clock in the hotel meeting room. I'll make all the arrangements."  
Mr. Stratton sounded relieved. "Thank you, Mr. Kincaid. I appreciate it. See you tomorrow, then."  
"Good night, Mr. Stratton."  
Reuben hung up, reaching over to turn off the light. He saw Chris and Danny peering at him curiously.  
"What?"  
"How come you wear that mask? Isn't it dark enough in here?" Chris asked.  
"Yeah, Mr. Kincaid. You're only supposed to wear that in the daytime, aren't you?"  
"Go to sleep," Reuben said, sounding annoyed.  
"I can't, now. I know, let's get a pizza and go see how Keith's doing!" Danny looked eager.  
"Keith can't eat pizza, besides, visiting hours are over…" Reuben murmured sleepily. In a few moments, he was snoring, and Chris and Danny looked at each other.  
"Well, maybe Keith can't have pizza, but we can," Danny crawled out of the bed, getting the phone. He punched a couple of numbers as Chris watched hungrily. "Hello, room service?"  
  
  
  
The morning brought good news for Keith. His temperature was getting closer to normal; it was 100 degrees, down from 103, which meant that the ampicillin was doing its job. He was still fairly drained, but the doctor said his energy would return once his temperature settled to normal.  
  
The nurse had come in to change his bandage and he watched as she carefully did so. Her hands were cool and when she touched his bare skin he almost shivered.  
  
Seeing him react, she pulled back. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"  
  
"No, it felt good, actually." He smiled at her, keeping his eyes off of the wound as she gently removed the bandage. There was one thing he refused to do, and that was to look at the hole there in his side. He knew it would make him nauseous and he'd already shown her how well he could throw up; she didn't need him to do an encore.  
  
She replaced the bandage, her hands still cool on his belly and as she pressed down on the tape, he felt a sharp pain. Groaning, he grabbed her hand, pulling a face.  
  
She froze. "Sorry. I know it's tender. I'll try and be more careful." She blushed, and he let go, letting her finish the job.  
  
She tried not to look at him as she gathered up the old bandage, but she could feel him watching her.   
  
"What's your name, anyway?" he asked, out of the blue.  
  
"Pam," she answered, glancing at him. If there was one thing she didn't need, it was a flirting contest with a patient. But this was Keith Partridge, and he was so cute!  
  
He smiled. He was feeling better by the minute. "Pam. Short and sweet."  
  
Flustered, she gathered up everything she needed and headed for the door. As she did so, she dropped a bandage roll and it headed under his bed, unrolling as it did so.  
  
She caught his eye; he was grinning, now and it made her even more flustered. "Don't you dare laugh," she warned him.  
  
"I can't laugh; it'll hurt." He did a terrible job of trying to be serious.  
  
She shook her head, throwing her armload down on his bed and getting on her hands and knees to retrieve the prodigal bandage.  
  
The door opened, and Shirley entered. Seeing the nurse on the floor reaching under the bed, she looked curiously at her son. "Hi, Mom, this is Pam," Keith waved a tired hand in Pam's direction.  
  
Having finally snatched the bandage, Pam climbed back to her feet, even more embarrassed than when she was down on the floor. "Hello, Mrs. Partridge. Just…picking something up that I dropped."  
  
Shirley nodded, smiling, as the nurse gave Keith a wicked look and left the room.  
  
"Keith, what did you do to that poor girl?"  
  
"Nothing, Mom, honest. She changed my bandage and dropped the roll. I would have helped her, but I'm a little incapacitated right now." He said innocently.  
  
Shirley sighed. She knew the effects her son had on girls of every age. She also knew that HE knew, and she had to monitor him every once in a while.  
  
"How are you feeling today, dear?" She pulled a chair up to the bedside.  
  
"Pretty good. Still tired. How's everybody doing? Do they miss me?"  
  
"Ferociously," she said, wrinkling her nose at him as she took his hand.  
  
"Yeah, I'll bet."   
  
"Would I lie to you?" She asked. "Honey, there's something I need you to do for me."  
  
"What? If it's fixing the bus or something, you'll have to ask Reuben." He smiled innocuously.   
  
"No, it's fixing Danny."  
  
He looked a bit taken aback. "Danny's broken?"  
  
"He's upset with Carly. He won't forgive her for what she did to you, Keith. He told Laurie he wanted her to get the electric chair."  
  
Keith winced at that one. "Woah, he IS mad!"  
  
"Can you talk to him?"  
  
"Well, I can try, but I'm not guaranteeing anything. You know how he is."  
  
"I just don't want him saying something to her that will hurt her, you know? She's so fragile right now."  
  
"That's for sure. Okay, Mom, I'll give it a whirl." He nodded wearily.  
  
"Good. He's right outside. I didn't want him confronting Carly in the lobby or something." She stood up, going to the door.  
  
Keith nodded, thoughtfully rubbing the bandage around his midriff. He saw Danny come in almost timidly and he flashed a smile.  
  
"Hey, bud."  
  
Danny stopped, staring at Keith. He looked so weak, so tired! This was not his brother.  
  
"Why don't you have a shirt on? Why's that bandage so big?" Danny blurted. 'What did she do to you?' he wanted to add, but held his tongue.  
  
"It's easier for them to check the wound, Danny. It's okay. You can come closer. I'm not contagious or anything."  
  
Danny swallowed, slowly moving to the chair and flopping down into it.   
  
"You look tired."  
  
"I am. It'll be a while before I'm up and around, I'm afraid."  
  
"Mom says you got an infection."  
  
"Yeah, but the drugs are working on it." Keith wriggled the I.V. tube.  
  
Danny nodded, looking around the room in apparent awe. Keith watched him keenly.  
  
"Carly came to see me yesterday."  
  
Danny looked at him, fire in his eyes. "I hate her."  
  
"Don't say that; you do not." Keith said calmly.  
  
"Yes, I do! You wouldn't be here if she hadn't come into our lives!" Danny spat.  
  
"Neither would she."  
  
That took Danny by surprise. "What…what do you mean?"  
  
"Danny, Carly is sick. She's tried to take her own life. A well person just does not do that. What happened at the zoo was not her fault. She was hysterical, slashing at herself with that knife. I had to do something. It was stupid of me not to realize the danger I was in, but I couldn't let her kill herself. I wasn't thinking, and I'm sure she wasn't either, but it was an accident. I know you would have done the same thing, had you been there. You wouldn't have let her kill herself, either. Right?"  
Danny looked down at his feet. Keith knew he had him, then. "Right?" He prodded.  
  
"I guess not."  
  
Keith smiled. "Of course not."  
  
"She DID try and save your life, too. She told me to get help."  
  
"Yes, she did. She could have just run away and left me there, but she didn't. I really owe her my life, Danny."  
  
Danny nodded. "I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't tell me, tell Carly. She needs to hear that."  
  
"I will."  
  
"Good."  
  
Pam came in, smiling at them. "Time to get your body out of that bed and up on your feet. We are going for a walk," she said brightly to Keith.  
  
"You're kidding," Keith said.  
  
She shook her head. "Doctor's orders."  
  
Danny grinned at his brother's hesitation. "Yeah, Keith, come on. Show us that old hospital shuffle."  
  
"You be quiet," he told Danny. To Pam, he indicated the I.V. "I'm still hooked up to this thing."  
  
"We'll bring it along. Come on, on your feet!" She yanked back the covers. Checking out his pajama bottoms, she smiled. "I'll get your robe. Wouldn't want you running into a fan dressed like that."  
  
Danny snickered as she got the robe from the foot of the bed. "Here, you hold this while I get your brother to as close an upright position as I can," she said, handing the robe to the red-head.  
  
She adjusted the bed to a full sit, pulling down the side rails. "Okay, cutie…ease your legs down, but try not to hurt your incision. If it hurts, stop for a second."  
  
Keith did as he was told, clutching her arm as she helped pull him up. His feet finally touched the floor and Danny facetiously applauded. Keith glared at him, looking up at Pam.  
  
"I'm really too tired for this…I don't think I have the energy to stand up."  
  
"You can do it. I'll help you. If you don't get those muscles working, they'll atrophy on you and you'll be a lot worse off. Put your arm around my shoulders."  
  
"Yeah, like he hasn't heard THAT one before," Danny ignored Keith's icy look.   
  
"Danny, come over here so he can use you for leverage," the nurse ordered.  
  
"Yeah, then later, I'll use you for boxing practice," Keith muttered.  
  
"Careful…that pajama string is just begging to be pulled," Danny warned him, grinning bigger. He went to his brother.  
  
"Don't even think about it," Keith warned, placing one hand on Danny's shoulder, gripping his shirt.  
  
"Okay, ready? On the count of three. One, two, three," Pam pulled on him.  
  
He stood up, wincing and gripping both Danny and Pam. "Oh, god…that hurts!" He said through his teeth. He wanted to just go back down, but they wouldn't let him.  
  
Pam looked at him. "Okay, bend over a bit if you have to. Don't get it hurting too much."  
  
He leaned forward just a little and she waited until he was steady and still leaning on Danny before putting his robe on him and retrieving the I.V. stand.  
  
"You know, Keith, you remind me of someone…wait, I know! Grandpa!" Danny grinned, oblivious to Keith's look.  
  
"We'll just go out into the hall for a few feet, then we'll turn around and come back. You'll need to do this four times a day, Keith, remember. It'll get easier as time goes on."  
  
Danny felt Keith's fingers digging into his shoulder, and he was beginning to think he was doing it on purpose.  
  
"I hope Chris is around for the next one…I think I'm gonna be bruised!" Danny flinched.  
  
Keith smiled down at him. "Sorry." He eased off on the pinching, much to Danny's relief.  
  
They began a slow and painful walk down the hall.  
  
continued...  



	19. Chapter 19

GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE  
CHAPTER 19  
  
While Reuben and her parents held their press conference in her defense, Carly was being sneaked into the hospital to say her goodbye's to Keith. With Shirley and Laurie waiting for her in the lobby, she stepped off of the elevator this one last time. She'd been told that Danny was already there, which made her even more apprehensive, but she knew she couldn't go home without talking to Keith, so she braved it.  
  
As she approached the room, she was surprised to find it empty and she nearly panicked. Had they taken him back in for surgery?   
  
"Hey, Carly, look at this!"  
  
Carly whirled to see Keith and Danny walking, be it slowly, toward her. Danny guided the I.V. stand and Keith had hold of his brother's shoulder to keep him steady. She didn't know what shocked her more, the fact that Keith was on his feet or the smile that Danny had on his face. Shirley was right; he HAD forgiven her!  
  
"Keith, what are you doing? You get back in that bed!" Carly cried.  
  
"I'm going, I'm going…" Keith grinned wearily, passing her in the doorway, Danny right beside him with the tall metal stand.  
  
"This is the second time. He's getting farther and farther down the hall each time," Danny said proudly.  
  
Keith literally crawled into the bed, and Danny grabbed the covers, helping him in. He moaned tiredly as Danny fixed the I.V. stand and Carly stood in the doorway.  
  
"I can come back if you'd rather rest. Our plane doesn't leave for another two hours." She said, watching him painfully adjust in the bed.  
  
"No," Keith breathed. "I'm okay. Come on over and give me my hug…"  
  
She went forward, doing her best not to cry, but she couldn't help it. She knew it would be the last hug for a very long time, if not forever. She tried to do it gently, even though she wanted to squeeze the stuffing out of him.  
  
"I wish you didn't have to leave…" He said, taking her face in his hands as she dropped to her knees by the bed.  
  
"I know, me, too, but I've caused you enough trouble, don't you think?" She smoothed the hair on his forehead.  
  
"I'm gonna miss you, Carly."  
  
"Oh, and I'll miss you, Keith. More than you will ever know."  
  
"He knows, he knows," Danny sighed from the far end of the room.  
  
Keith looked over at him. "Out."  
  
"Aw, Keith, it was just getting good."  
  
"Danny…"  
  
"Nuts," Danny muttered, shuffling toward the door.  
  
"Danny, wait," Carly said to him.  
  
He stopped, and reached up, hugging him tightly and pecking his cheek.  
  
His reaction was that of any typical eleven-year-old boy. He made a face and wriggled away. "Jeez, what was that for?"  
  
"For loving your brother enough to be so mad at me."  
  
Keith chuckled at the look on Danny's face. "Yeah, I'd say you earned it, pal."  
  
"Women…" Danny muttered, yanking the door open and going out.  
  
Keith and Carly laughed as she turned back to him.  
  
"Remember what I said, Carly. If you ever feel that low again, I want you to call me. Any time, day or night. I'll help you through whatever it is." He said seriously.  
  
She nodded, tears springing back into her eyes. "I will, Keith, I promise. You're so good to me. I realize now that I need a lot of help to deal with my life, and I'm going to take care of that the second we touch down in Muncie."  
  
He reached up, petting her hair. "That's great news." He paused, his eyes scanning her face. "I love you, Carly Stratton."  
  
"And I love you, too, Keith Partridge." She went forward into his arms again and he held her as she wept against his chest.   
  
He closed his eyes. They would both get better; together. Some day, he prayed. Some day…  
  
THE END  
  



End file.
